Box Score Demorest, GA - The Piedmont College women's basketball team earned a 7th USA South win in a big South Division showdown earlier tonight in the Cave knocking off the Panthers of LaGrange College 76-72.  PC picked up 17 points from both Mary Kate Rushton and Chandler Alverson as the two hit six of Piedmont's ten three pointers on a night when the Lady Lions shot better than 35% from downtown. 

Piedmont started off on a 8-3 run after watching Lagrange sink the first bucket of the game as Rushton and teammate Brianna Barrett hit their first three pointers of the night in that stretch.  LC then scored seven of the next nine points to tie the ball game up at ten each as the Panthers looked for an eighth win in their last nine games.

With Piedmont up by four and just under six minutes to play before halftime, Barrett connected on another tri-fecta, her second of the night, to push PC up by seven as the two fought for the advantage.  At the 2:15 mark of the first, a key offensive rebound and putback by Taylor Swoszowski put the Lady Lions up by nine, the margin that would be their halftime lead taking a 38-29 lead into the locker room.

Points off turnovers was key for PC in the first half as the Lady Lions generated 13 points on nine first-half Panther turnovers while LaGrange could only pick up four points off takeaways before the break.  In the second half, Piedmont watched Mary Kate Rushton score five of her team-high 17 in the opening four minutes as she helped push the Lady Lions' lead into double figures for just the second time on the night with her three-pointer at the 17:27 mark of the 2nd half.

That Rushton score put Piedmont up 48-37as the home team continued to keep the visitors at bay with timely shooting and defensive stops.  However, despite leading by 13 with 13:24 remaining at 55-42, the Lady Lions saw an offensive explosion from LaGrange as the Panthers scored 13 straight points in less than a three-minute period to tie the game at 55 all with 10:29 to go.

Shocked at the scoreless run, the Lady Lions fell behind for the first time since the opening minutes when LC's Alex Wilson drilled an open three to put the visitors up 58-55.  Coming off the bench to answer the bell though was Piedmont's Julianne Bayer who stepped in to score back-to-back layups to give Piedmont back a lead at 59-58. 

After a Lauren Hamel jumper on the next possession gave Piedmont back a three-point lead, the Lady Lions settled after weathering the Panther storm staying in front for the duration as LC and PC traded baskets over the final seven minutes. 

Up by just two points with 1:12 remaining after a Caroline Brashier bucket, Piedmont picked a clutch three-pointer from Mrs. Clutch herself, Chandler Alverson.  Her corner shot in front of the Cave Crazy faithful set the Lady Lions up by five and under a minute to play.

The sophomore's three with the shot clock winding down gave fans all the confidence they needed though the sophomore would go on to drain a pair of free throws as well with 15 seconds to go and a three point lead in hand.  Piedmont held off any further Panther attempts to steal one in the Cave winning 76-72 to tighten their grip on 2nd place in the South Division standings of the USA South.

Rushton's 17 points was a season high for the sophomore who was five of nine on the night including a 3-of-6 mark from distance.  Making her second start of the year, PC depended on the youngster for a 27-minute night, a total second only to Chandler Alverson who played 34 minutes on the evening to total her 17 points.

Alverson's 17 came on six of 14 shooting as she finished just three points shy of the 20 she scored in dramatic fashion in Piedmont's comeback win over Meredith College in the Cave earlier this season.  The sophomore also tied for the rebounding lead with her five along with teammate Carly Sales who picked up three of hers on the offensive end. 

Newcomer Gabby Arencibia had nine points on three of six shooting leveling with Taylor Swoszowski who also had nine points in the win.  Four of her nine came from the free throw line.

The victory moves Piedmont to 7-3 in conference play now a full game up of 3rd place Huntingdon College who benefits from the Panthers' loss in the Cave tonight taking sole possession of the spot in the South Division.  

However, the Lady Hawks are the next opponent for the Lady Lions who host Huntingdon this coming Saturday for a 2:00 pm afternoon showdown with a postseason feel.  HC holds a 6-4 conference record and a 14-5 overall record setting up quite the weekend afternoon contest in Cave Arena as PC is 7-4 in the league and 13-6 overall.