Need to Know
Score: Piedmont 60, Centre 52
Records: Lady Lions 6-4, Colonels 1-9
Location: Demorest, Georgia - Cave Arena

Demorest, GA - In an exciting finish for the fans making the holiday appearance at Cave Arena, it was the Piedmont College women's basketball team coming out on top of a 60-52 decision on Tuesday night over the Colonels of Centre College in the Cancer Awareness Tournament hosted by PC.

The contest was game two of the day with Hanover handing a 90-40 defeat to Salem earlier in the afternoon.  Though the 50-point win for the Panthers handed them a spot in the tournament's Championship Game against PC at 5:00 pm, it was the Lady Lions who needed a spark late in the 4th quarter getting it from likely veteran sources on the defensive end. 

Piedmont led by five after Centre's Bonnie Ruhle cut the margin with a three-pointer at the 5:13 mark to keep the Colonels within striking distance.  PC picked up a key stop on a LE'SHAUNDA JONES steal-and-score that pushed the lead to seven, but Centre looked to keep it close pushing the tempo with Alexis Guy going up for a lay-up to cut into the home team lead further.

However, Piedmont was up to the defensive task again as MARY KATE RUSHTON came up with a crucial block that got the crowd on its feet before collecting the rebound and getting the outlet pass to DAKOTA SULLENS who converted a lay-up of her own and, with a pair of fist pumps, gave the Lady Lions the lift needed to earn the eight-point win at home over the Colonels.

The two teams were tied at the break with each tallying 25 in the first 20 minutes before Piedmont owned a three-point edge after three quarters in the Mize Center.  PC moves on to face Hanover on Wednesday at 5:00 pm in the Championship Game while Centre will play Salem in the consolation game at 3:00 pm, both games coming in Cave Arena. 

Turning Point
--Back-to-back defensive lock-downs with just over four minutes to play in the contest as part of four straight points that helped Piedmont seal the win down the stretch as Jones picked up her steal-and-score just before the Rushton block.

Standout Performances
--DAKOTA SULLENS led with 13 points and also topped the charts with three assists and eight rebounds...Sullens hit on six of 11 field goal tries while also picking up a pair of blocks and steals as well.
--MARY KATE RUSHTON had a dozen points hitting 5-of-12 from the field and brought down six boards, tied for second best on the team behind only Sullens.

Inside the Box Score
--For the third time this season, it was ERIN CLIFFORD who tallied a double-digit night with ten points as she connected on a pair of three's, one in each half, as she led the team with seven points at the break.
--BRIANNA BARRETT continues to do a little bit of everything for PC with numbers across the board leading the team with her three steals while also tallying nine points and six boards.

News & Notes
--The Colonels will now play in Wednesday's consolation game of the Cancer Awareness Tournament at 3:00 pm vs. Salem, a contest hosted by Piedmont.
--Piedmont has now won five of its last six contests with the only loss coming in the team's first game at the Cruizin Classic before the holiday break.
--In their last meeting with the Colonels, PC fell by three, 76-73, in the 2013-14 season opener at home in Cave Arena.

Up Next
Piedmont will play tomorrow evening at 5:00 pm vs. Hanover in the Championship Game of the Cancer Awareness Tournament.  The two have never met in Piedmont's NCAA Era (beginning with the 2003-04 season).  Hanover earned its spot in the title game earlier Tuesday by virtue of a dominating 90-40 win over Salem who faces Centre in tomorrow's consolation game tipping off at 3:00 pm. Both live stats and video will be available for these final two games of the Cancer Awareness Tournament hosted by Piedmont in Cave Arena. 

How to Follow
To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont College Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, Snapchat: @PiedmontLions and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.