Need to Know
Score: Piedmont 81, Oglethorpe 67
Records: Lions 4-6, Stormy Petrels 3-6
Location: Atlanta, Georgia - Dorough Field House

Atlanta, GA - In their final showing before the holiday break, the Piedmont College men's basketball team literally rebounded from a pair of weekend defeats with an 81-67 win over Oglethorpe University Tuesday night in Atlanta. 

The Lions held a 49-29 margin on the boards including 14 offensive rebounds to just two for the hosting Stormy Petrels as PC put the game away midway through the second half with a 14-2 run which broke a 44-44 tie.  

The contest was mostly a one-possession game until Piedmont's run that effectively put the Lions in control down the stretch as Oglethorpe trailed the visitors by three at halftime following a pull-up three pointer from KELLY ASSINESI with just four seconds left before the break.

After OU tied it up at 35 less than a minute into the first half, Piedmont would pull in front only to see OU pull level though the Petrels were never able to reclaim the lead but did force four ties in the opening minutes of the second.

Deadlocked at 44, PC then went on a 10-0 run capped by a CHASE ENGLAND 3-point play the old fashioned way as the Lions built their largest lead of the game to that point creeping into a double-digit advantage for the first time on the night.

Though OU would cut it to eight on a Drew Patrick 3-pointer at the 9:01 mark, Piedmont had an answer once again with back-to-back threes as TAYLOR MILLS knocked down a triple just 38 seconds before finding PEYTON LUKEN for his own tri-fecta.

Those two triples, which came on back-to-back possessions for Piedmont, put the lead back up to 14 and effectively handed the Lions both the momentum and the 14-point win down in Atlanta.

Turning Point
--After OU hit a three-pointer to trim Piedmont's lead back down to eight, the Lions got answers from a veteran and a youngster with TAYLOR MILLS' three-pointer followed by great ball movement to find PEYTON LUKEN open for another. 

Standout Performances
--TRAE GAINES brought back the lost art of the mid-range jumper shooting 8-of-13 to tally a team-high 18 points while pulling down six rebounds. 
--KELLY ASSINESI poured in 17 points on better than 57% shooting including his long range, pull-up three just before the half that gave PC back the lead for the first time since the 13:03 mark of the 1st.

Inside the Box Score
--The Lions went to work on the glass out-rebounding the Stormy Petrels 49 to 29 while holding the home team off the offensive boards with just two for OU on the night.
--JUSTIN VALLEJO and CHASE ENGLAND were key to Piedmont's work in the paint as the Lions outscored the Stormy Petrels 38-24 down low.  

News & Notes
--Piedmont won the last meeting between these two with a 21-point victory back on November 18, 2015 at Dorough Field House in Atlanta.
--This was Piedmont's second visit to Dorough Field House since the facility received its "black top" makeover as PC was OU's second game on the floor last season.
--In those two trips to the unique new floor, Piedmont is 2-0 with an average margin of victory of 17.5 points per win.

Up Next
This contest marks the holiday break for the Lions who will return to action in the new year when hosting Sewanee on January 3 in Cave Arena for a 7:00 pm tip-off.  

How to Follow
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