Box Score Raleigh, NC --  Head Coach Greg Neeley's Lions collected a well-earned victory over conference opponent William Peace University with a 90-75 win on the road this evening. The Lions, led in points by freshmen Brian Edwards with 22 notches, gathered their first-ever USA South conference game victory today.

The first half became a battle of fast breaks early on as several turnovers turned into important points for both teams. An early dunk for the Pacers put them in the lead, but Chris Meeks followed up with his own moments later to take the lead away from William Peace and give Piedmont the momentum for much of the half.

Piedmont's lead through much of the first was padded by Brian Edwards' numerous layups. William Peace was not willing to give up the homecourt advantage though, taking the lead at 28-27 with 6:44 left in the half off of a successful three-point bucket. The Lions countered with a few successful free point attempts to fuel the firey back-and-forth.

At halftime, the Lions barely missed a chance to head to the locker rooms in the lead. With a two point lead and seconds left, the Pacers found a chance beyond the arc and nailed a 3-pointer to take a 41-40 point lead between halves. The score was kept tight courtesy of 11-point halves by freshmen Brian Edwards and Chase England. Junior Chris Meeks was keen to keep the Lions attacking by grabbing four defensive boards in the half.

Piedmont returned to second half action and immediately found the lead with an Edwards free throw and layup by Safari Smith. Smith's 17 points and 6 assists were a major boost to the Lion's offense.

The lead changed multiple times in the second half, with William Peace taking it at the 14:00 mark for a 52-50 lead for a moment. Piedmont neutered the Pacers momentarily before they grabbed it again at 54-53. At 11:58 with a 57-57 tie, Brian Edwards took a foul and his free throw kicked off a ten point Lions scoring spree uncontested by William Peace for nearly three minutes of play.

Ten points steadily grew for the Lions as several upperclassmen contributed. Alton Honors II added four layups and a jumper in the rest of the half; he finished the game with 15 points to push his 14.1 ppg up further. Honors II's final layup would be the 90th point and final mark in the coffin over the William Peace Pacers. Piedmont outshot the Pacers 27% field goal percentage in the second half with 56% from inside the arc; the best percentage this season by the Lions offense.

With their first USA South victory out of the way, the Lions are now 6-5 on the season. PC will now return home for a Sunday, January 12th game against North Carolina Wesleyan College in the Cave as a part of "Habitat for Humanity" night.  Beginning with tonight's win, through Sunday and beyond, the Lions will face solely USA South Conference opponents on the road to the tournament with its finale at local rival Toccoa Falls being the only exception.  Tip off in the conference contest is set for 3:00 pm.