Box Score

LaGrange, GA - Piedmont rolled into LaGrange undefeated and ranked No. 18 in the country, but the Lady Panthers were un-phased by the Lady Lions' credentials, edging out the women 78-76 in a game that was tight from tip-off to the final buzzer.  Both squads came in without a blemish on the schedule in Great South Athletic Conference play, but LaGrange squeaked out an extra point in both halves to win the game.

The power struggle within the game was between Sada Wheeler and Katie Covington of LaGrange.  The two stars battled to put their team in front, as Covington ended with a game-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Wheeler scored Piedmont's final nine points en route to her ninth double-double, closing with 20 points and 12 boards, eight of which were on the offensive side.  The senior added a pair of blocks in the loss.

Wheeler got things started for Piedmont on the first possession with a layup.  After a 4-0 mini-run by LaGrange, senior Amber Satterfield, fresh off a GSAC Player of the Week Award, nailed consecutive tri-fectas to double up the score on the Lady Panthers, 8-4 just two and half minutes into action.  Junior Keiondria Thompson's bucket moments later capped an 8-0 run as the Lady Lions looked to jump ahead early.  LaGrange converted a three-point play on a bucket and a foul and tied the game at 12 with a 3-pointer with 15:36 remaining.

The resilient Piedmont women answered right back with a three of its own courtesy of Satterfield, but the momentum quickly shifted back to the home team.  The Lady Panthers scored 10 unanswered points to take a seven point lead.  The deficit was stretched to 10 for Piedmont when LaGrange added eight free throws around its other baskets over the next six minutes.  Down 10 with five minutes on the clock in the first half, Piedmont regained composure and went on a 9-2 tear to close within three points.  Thompson contributed with a timely basket to give the women a slim 43-42 lead with 45 ticks on the clock.  However, the Lady Panthers scratched across a couple more from the charity stripe to take a one-point cushion into the break.  Free throw shooting was a pivotal part of the win for LaGrange, who went 25-for-33 from the line on the evening.

Shanice Wheeler provided a much-needed spark on offense for Piedmont to begin the second half.  The senior hit a game-tying triple and connected on a jump shot 20 seconds later to put the ladies up two early on.  The teams went back and forth the rest of the way.  The see-saw battle featured three ties and five lead changes in the second half.  LaGrange trailed by a mere point with 11 minutes to go, but had the game-defining run of 8-0 to put them ahead for good.

The Lady Lions rallied down seven, using a 7-0 run to pull within a point following a pair of free throws by junior Alyssa Jones.  Her jumper with 3:26 remaining again brought the deficit down to one, but Covington hit a crucial layup inside the paint to reset the lead to three.  SADA WHEELER took over for Piedmont from there, and was unstoppable after making four straight layups and adding a free throw after drawing a foul on her basket with six seconds on the board.  The freebie made it a one-point game once again, but the Lady Lions forced LaGrange to go to the line, where it hit the back end of two to go up a deuce.  The Lady Lions got the ball back with four seconds left, but LaGrange stole possession before Piedmont could attempt a last-second shot.

SADA WHEELER's 20 points led the Lady Lions, but Jones notched a double-double as well with a dozen points and a dozen rebounds to go along with five assists.  Thompson was good for 15 points, while SHANICE WHEELER added 10 points, five rebounds, six helpers and two steals.  Satterfield was held to nine points, all on the few shots from outside the arc she hit early in the first.  She was held scoreless the rest of the way despite a game-high 12 attempted 3-pointers.  LaGrange's bench came up with 34 points, as they also tallied 18 second-chance points.  The women move to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in GSAC action following their first loss of the year.  They return to action Sunday at 2:00 pm when they travel to Salem College in a GSAC matchup.