DEMOREST — The Piedmont College women's basketball followed through on an upset bid over the country's 12th ranked team on Wednesday evening defeating Maryville College 61-54 in front of a jam-packed crowd in the Cave.
For Maryville, the loss was the first in USA South play this season and just the fifth loss in conference regular season play for the Scots over the last three seasons as MC has won at least a share of the league's regular season title in each of the last three years.
The contest was tight throughout with each team's largest lead amounting to just eight points as the Scots held the advantage in the early going with Madison Maples hitting a three near the end of the 1st quarter to give the visitors a 6-point lead after one. Maples hit three of her four 3-pointers on the night in the final five minutes of the 1st quarter before Piedmont clamped down defensively to cool off one of the league's hottest shooters.
As Piedmont turned up the heat defensively to make it a one-point game at the halftime break 29-28, the offense started to flow for the home team as well with several different players knocking down huge open looks to help the Lady Lions take charge in the upset effort. Trailing by one with 1:08 remaining in the third, Piedmont's Erin Clifford drained an open look from three-point land to give PC the lead 42-40 as eight of the game's 12 lead changes came in just the 3rd quarter alone.
With the game still in doubt heading into the 4th, Piedmont's Taylor Swoszowski tried to distance her team from the visitors hitting from deep to put the Lady Lions up four, but Maryville continued to battle with the Scots' Jordan Ballard knocking down 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to make it a one-possession game with 3:36 to go. However, Piedmont got the answer it needed when senior Mary Kate Rushton connected on a key three-pointer with just over two to play to make the lead six and insurmountable for the Scots.
Though McKenzie Puckett hit a three for Maryville with just over a minute to go to make it a five-point game, the Scots would not hit another shot from the field as a pair of Dakota Sullens free throws salted away the big win for PC on its home court over the nationally ranked foe.
