The Piedmont College men's basketball fell to visiting Great South Athletic Conference member Maryville College this afternoon at Cave Arena by the score of 80-65. The Scots used an offensive surge in the final ten minutes of regulation to pull away from the home team and take the 15-point decision.

In a first half that featured seven lead changes and six ties the Scots jumped out to an 8-4 advantage to start the game. The Lions went on a 10-4 run as MICHAEL RUBIO and J.C. HEREBIA combined for eight points. The teams played even down the stretch until the trailing Scots ended the half hitting six of the final eight points to take a 41-36 lead into the locker room.

MC never trailed in the second half, but saw its lead drop to as low as two points on multiple occasions. With a 43-41 lead the Scots posted a 27-9 run that saw four baskets hit from behind the arc. The home team rallied with a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 72-62 but could get no closer. The Scots ended the game hitting eight of the final 11 points from the free throw line to seal the win.

Rubio led the Lions with 20 points including a pair of three-pointers and 6-7 from the free throw line. Herebia closely followed with 19 points and a team-best seven rebounds. The forward also posted three steals and a pair of blocks while JUSTIN RUSH chipped in with seven points off the bench.

The Scots used their depth notching 31 points off the bench compared to PC's 16. The Lions committed 13 turnovers that led to 14 points while the visitors held the shooting advantage 47%-40%.

The loss drops Piedmont to 8-16 overall and 0-6 in the Great South Athletic Conference. The Lions will face off again with top-seeded Maryville in the GSAC Tournament next Friday, February 27th with tip-off scheduled for 7:30.