Box Score Kennesaw, GA - The Piedmont College basketball team held the lead for more than half of tonight's non-counting exhibition contest against NCAA Division I member Kennesaw State University only to see the Owls slip away late and claim a 85-78 victory in their home gym.  With the Kennesaw fans on their edge of their seats throughout much of the contest, Piedmont was ahead for much of the first half and took a one-point lead with just over five minutes to go but could not hold on to what would have been a very emphatic statement for the Lions and first-year Head Coach Greg Neeley who was not disappointed with his team's showing tonight.

"Playing in a D1 atmosphere against a Kennesaw team that is going to contend in their league was a great learning experience for us," said Neeley of his team's gutsy performance on the road at the Owls. "I'm proud of the effort and energy our guys played with and the enthusiasm our bench brought.  If we maintain that effort, we'll continue to get better."

Kennesaw State, who rocked Piedmont's fellow USA South member Covenant College 95-66 on Saturday night, was playing the second of two exhibition contests against Division III opponents to end their preseason competition while Piedmont was taking on the Owls in a non-counting exhibition of their own.  PC will officially kick off the season next weekend while Kennesaw State opens with Youngstown State this Friday in the Owls' home tournament.  The Owls defeated Piedmont by nearly 40 points in an 82-43 decision that came in an exhibition contest from the 2012-13 season though PC showed marked improvement against KSU this time around.

Piedmont took the reigns of the match up early on with junior forward Aaron Thrams scoring down low on an assist from Safari Smith just over a minute into the contest as the Kennesaw scoreboard read 2-0 Piedmont, a familiar sight in the first half as PC would lead for all but 21 seconds of the first half.  KSU's three-pointer by Nigel Pruitt put the Owls up 3-2, but after a Chris Meeks layup with 18:21 remaining in the first half, Kennesaw State would not lead over Piedmont until the 16:12 mark of the second half as the Lions would open up a margin as large as 12 in the first half of play.

Despite taking the double-digit lead, Piedmont saw Kennesaw claw their way back in the game to go to the locker rooms trailing by just two points 43-41 at the half though many in the Convocation Center did not feel comfortable with the Lions having held the lead for almost the entire first half. 

After the intermission, the NCAA Division I Owls tried to assume control of the tempo tying the game up on a jumper from Orlando Coleman just 14 seconds into the game as Kennesaw looked to be settling into a groove after ending the first half on a layup with just two seconds remaining.  However, Piedmont answered with a Chris Meeks basket in the paint to pull ahead once more, a spot the Lions felt comfortable in all night. 

Later in the half, Piedmont would open up a three-point lead on a Jessie Jenkins two-point score at the 12:55 mark of the second half before the Owls answered with a Drew McGhee dunk to cut the deficit back down to one.  The two would trade the lead back and forth over the next three minutes before Kennesaw's Bernard Morena scored a bucket to hand the Owls a 5-point advantage at the midway point of the second half, the home team's largest lead of the game up to that point. 

After an Andrew Osemhen layup made the Kennesaw margin seven with 7:24 to play, Kennesaw fans began to settle in their seats as the hosting Owls looked to have assumed control as thought to be the case headed into the exhibition contest.  But back came the Neeley-led Lions who chipped away at the margin over the next two minutes plus not allowing a field goal to the Owls and watching Safari Smith create two turnovers and score four points as part of a 10-2 run that the Lions used to go back up on top 72-71 with just over five to go.

Two Nigel Pruitt trifectas over the next three minutes would be more for the Lions to handle defensively as the sharp shooter, who led Kennesaw with his 17 points on four of ten shooting from the field, made all four of his field goals from downtown.  That pair of three-pointers set the Owls up to salt away the final few minutes at the free throw line setting the final margin at seven points with Kennesaw State going away 85-78.

The Lions could not have played more of an even game with the Owls as both teams shot just over 47% from the field with KSU shooting 47.6% and Piedmont close behind at 47.4%.  PC made one more three-pointer than KSU though the Lions shot one less as well as the boys from Demorest were 31% from downtown.  Piedmont also outshot the home team at the free throw line hitting just over 73% from the charity stripe while the Owls were 60% at the line.

If there was an area where the Lions could have closed the gap, it was on the offensive glass as Piedmont collected just eight offensive rebounds while Kennesaw State took down 18 giving themselves several second-chance opportunities leading to 13 points.  Even the turnover margin showed no difference between the clubs as the Lions turned it over 14 times compared to 13 giveaways for KSU.

Piedmont's points leader was Alton Honors II who had 21 points with ten of those coming at the free throw line.  Returner Jessie Jenkins had 15 points for the visiting Lions turning in the most well-rounded performance of the squad leading the team in rebounds with nine while also ranking second with his three assists playing 38 minutes of tonight's seven-point affair, a team high.  Safari Smith, who was three for four from the field with seven points, led the team with his half dozen helpers on the night.

As the contest was a non-counting exhibition for PC, the Lions will officially open their regular season next Friday, November 15th with a road contest against Earlham College at the Shrine Tournament hosted by Marietta College in Ohio.  The opener is set for a 6:00 pm tipoff.