Box Score Ferrum, VA - After winning four straight in come-from-behind fashion in the friendly confines of Cave Arena, the Piedmont College men's basketball team was unable to mount a comeback against Ferrum College losing 67-63. The loss snapped that four game win streak and dropped the Lions' record to 8-7 and 3-2 in the USA South.
The Lions trailed by as many as 17 in the game and never led though they cut the lead to only two points with 2:36 remaining after
Peyton Luken drained a 3-pointer. The difference in the game rested at the charity stripe as Piedmont gave up 43 attempts at the line as the Panthers were 25-of-43 at the free throw line.
Piedmont saw three players foul out and two others end the night with 4 fouls each as the Lions had 31 personal fouls, their second highest total of the season.
The Lions trailed early but a layup by
Marquise Lanier cut it to 22-20 with just over 6:30 to go in the first half. Lanier, the reigning USA South Rookie of the Week, ended the game tied as the leading scorer for Piedmont with 12 points and 3 rebounds.
Following that basket by Lanier, the Lions were held scoreless for over three minutes while the Panthers went on an 8-0 run with the finals points of that streak coming off the hands of Jamal Pullen as he slammed it home. Ferrum led by 11 at the half and scored six straight out of the break to increase that to 17, their largest lead of the game.
The Lions' second-half magic ran out though as Piedmont was unable to make another miraculous comeback, though the Lions came close. Piedmont only managed 24 points in the first half but tallied 39 in the second.
Piedmont trailed by 10 with 9:00 to go in the game but cut it to merely four points at 54-50 off a
Brian Edwards layup with 5:22 remaining. In the final 3:30 minutes of the game, the Panthers hit 8 free throws to seal the Lions' fate.
Justin Vallejo was tied with Lanier with 12 points and tied with
Chris Meeks for tops on the team with 8 rebounds.
Peyton Luken was second on the team with 11 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
The Lions remain in Virginia for the rest of the longest USA South road trip of the season as they will take on Averett University on Sunday. That contest is set to tip at 1 p.m. Sunday. Averett entered Friday with the best record in the league but lost to Greensboro dropping their conference record to 4-2.
