DATE: Feb. 27, 2016

Stats at a Glance PC MC Record 20-7 23-3 USA South Record 13-3 14-1 Points/GM 75.2 67.5 Points Allowed/GM 61.0 51.0 Field Goal % 42.4 40.8 3-Pt. Field Goal % 29.5 29.4 Rebounds/GM 41.5 42.4 Rebounding Margin 0.0 7.6 Turnovers/GM 17.7 15.8

TIME: 2:00 pm ET
LOCATION: Maryville, TN
FACILITY: Boydson H. Baird Gymnasium
LAST MEETING: MC 63-53 (2/17/16 @MC)
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STORYLINES
--3rd meeting between these two programs this season
--4th meeting between these two programs in a conference championship game since 2005-06
--Piedmont playing in the USA South Championship Game for first time
--Maryville looking for first USA South tourney title

GAME FACTS
Piedmont is making its first appearance in the USA South Championship Game in women's basketball since joining the league prior to the 2012-13 season.  The title game will be hosted in Maryville's Boydson H. Baird Gymnasium on campus with tip-of set for 2:00 pm ET.  The game will have live stats coverage and a video broadcast of the contest with audio commentary will also be available.  

SCOUTING MARYVILLE
Top seed Maryville is making its third straight appearance in the USA South Championship Game after a 61-37 win over 4th seeded LaGrange College in the semifinal round.  The Scots defeated 8 seed Meredith by 29 in the quarterfinal round to start their USA South postseason run.  The team is no doubt led by senior All-American Mackenzie Puckett who is averaging 14.8 points per game as one of three Scots in double figures.  Puckett led the team with 13 points in the Scots' win over LaGrange yesterday in the semis.  Maryville Head Coach Darrin Travillian recently became the program's winningest coach with his 130th win as the leader of the program on February 5 with his team knocking off Ferrum.   

SERIES RECORDS
Piedmont is 10-22 against Maryville in the NCAA Era, but this is the fourth meeting between Piedmont and Maryville in a league championship game since 2005-06 with Piedmont owning a 2-1 record in the previous three.  Maryville's only win over Piedmont in a title game came by one point in the 2009-10 season when the two were still members of the Great South Athletic Conference.

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
Today's match-up is a tale as old as time with the top offense in the USA South going against the top defense in the league.  Piedmont owns a league-best 75.2 points per game, but Maryville leads the league in points allowed per game giving up only 51 each contest.  In two tournament games, Maryville has allowed just 37 and 41 points in the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively.  For Piedmont, the Lady Lions opened with 83 points against the Cougars of Averett in the quarters before scoring 64 against Ferrum yesterday in the semis. 

CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
If Piedmont is to come out on top this afternoon in the title game, it will likely have something to do with work on the glass as Maryville owns a 7.6 rebounding margin on the season while Piedmont is dead even in that category.  The Scots lead the league in rebounding margin, but it's a team effort for Maryville as no individual Scot is in the top 15 in the league in rebounds per game.  Allyson Freiermuth leads Maryville with 6.8 boards per game with Pucket close behind at 5.1 per.  Piedmont was led in rebounds yesterday by point guard BRIANNA BARRETT with eight as PC has out-rebounded its opponent only once in the last five games, that coming in the quarterfinals over Averett with 17 more for PC.

LAST TIME OUT: V. FERRUM 64-62 WIN
The dream of a USA South title is still alive for the Piedmont College women's basketball team in Tennessee as the Lady Lions held off #3 seed Ferrum College 64-62 in the Semifinals of the USA South Championship Tournament on Friday evening. 

Piedmont needed its defense to come up big on the last possession, and the Lady Lions were up to the task forcing a turnover by Zarkia Mattox to preserve a two-point lead in the final seconds and earn its way to the title game on Saturday. 

PC will face tourney host Maryville College for the third time this season in that championship game as the Scots defeated LaGrange 61-36 to prevail as the tourney's top seed.  Piedmont is the #2 seed in the field as the two split their pair of meetings this season with each team winning on its home floor. 

Against Ferrum, it was CARLY SALES who led the team again with her 13 points, seven of which came at the charity stripe where she was 7-of-8 for the game.  LE'SHAUNDA JONES added 11 points while CARLIE SHIELDS was the third Lady Lion in double figures with ten points of her own. 

Piedmont trailed in the early going by ten midway through the first before going on a 23-2 run over the next ten minutes of play to turn the tide in the semifinal match-up.  Ferrum made a run of its own at the end closing to within just one point after a pair of Jessie O'Conner free throws with 14 seconds left.  

However, PC's CARLY SALES earned a trip to the line on the Lady Lions' next possession and hit 1-of-2 to make it a two-point ball game with just 11 seconds remaining.  Ferrum would have a chance to tie or win coming out of a timeout, but Piedmont's defense stood tall forcing a turnover on the final play to preserve the win and head to the 'ship.

NEXT UP FOR THE TEAM
The winner of the league's championship game will earn the USA South's automatic berth into the NCAA National Tournament with the field expected to be announced on Monday, February 29.