Box Score | MME Interview with Alyssa Jones

Demorest, GA -- The Piedmont College women's basketball rolled on to the Great South Athletic Conference semifinal round of the championship tournament with a 71-35 victory over Huntingdon College in a quarterfinal game earlier tonight.  The Lady Lions held visiting HC to just 22% shooting from the floor in the 36 point decision including a 17% shooting mark in the first half to set up a date with second seeded LaGrange College in the GSAC semis on Friday.

Piedmont started and ended the first half of tonight's tourey showdown on good runs beginning the game on a 10-2 run before getting to intermission with another stretch 9-2 over the Lady Hawks.  Both runs were capped by a Laura Simmons jumper as the squad's lone senior helped make sure that her final game in Cave Arena would be a win as the Lady Lions led 36-17 at the break.

When the teams came out for the second half encore, it was just that for the home team as PC once again started out hot with an Alyssa Jones layup that pushed the lead to 21 with just over a minute played in the second half.  Piedmont's advantage continued to climb reaching 33 points late in the second half on a Keiondria Thompson three-point bucket.

An old-fashioned three-point play from Thompson just seconds later gave Piedmont the final margin of 36 points as PC won 71-35 to move on to the GSAC semis.  Piedmont's play in the paint was the difference on the evening as the Lady Lions outscored HC 34-16 down low.

Sophomore Alyssa Jones had a solid night at the point for PC turning in ten points to go with her seven assists on the evening.  Jones shot 75% from the field to help the Lady Lions to their sixth consecutive GSAC tournament semifinal appearance under current Head Coach Jamie Purdy.

Leading the way in the scoring column was freshman Sydney Seitz who tallied 12 points on four of seven shooting in her first post-season action for the Lady Lions.  Seitz was also a perfect four of four from the charity stripe as was classmate Lauren Hamel who added a trio of rebounds to the cause. 

Junior Sada Wheeler pulled down 11 boards to bring her season total to 237 in 2010-11 as the forward also added six points to the effort.  Senior Laura Simmons reached double digits in scoring with ten points in her final appearance in the Cave in front of the PC home crowd. 

Scoring eight points a piece was junior Amber Satterfield and freshman Keiondria Thompson as the two combined to shoot six of 13 from the floor.  Chipping in seven points, five boards, and a trio of steals was guard Shanice Wheeler who connected on 75% of her tries from the field.

The win moves the Lady Lions to 18-7 overall on the season and moves the squad on in the GSAC championship tournament. Piedmont now will face LaGrange College in the conference semifinals on Friday, February 25 with tipoff set for a 6:30 tip.