Need to Know
Score: Piedmont 95, N.C. Wesleyan 76
Records: Lions 8-7, 3-2 USA South, Battling Bishops 7-6, 0-2 USA South
Location: Demorest, Georgia - Cave Arena

Demorest, GA - The Piedmont College men's basketball team won its fourth straight contest Saturday picking up a conference victory over N.C. Wesleyan 95-76. The Lions have won five of the last six contests with the lone loss coming in double OT to Sewanee by two points.

The Lions got off to a slow start but a 3-pointer by PEYTON LUKEN ignited the offense making it a one point game just two and half minutes into the contest. Another Luken 3-pointer tied the game at eight and just two minutes later, thanks to a 5-0 run by JUSTIN VALLEJO single-handedly, Piedmont took the lead.

Piedmont led it 13-11 with 14:36 to play and never trailed again in the contest as that was part of an 11-0 run to open up the lead. The Lions made 3-pointers on four straight possessions as ELIJAH ALSTON, TRAE GAINES, LANDRY ASSINESI and CHASE ENGLAND all connected from deep. 

With an eight point lead 31-23 and 9:21 on the clock till the half, Piedmont continued to stretch the lead out, extending it to as many as 16 after Gaines connected on another longball. The final bucket from the floor was a MALIK ABDULGADER 3-pointer making it 51-38 at the half. 

The Lions opened the second half pushing the lead to 19 at 60-41 and never led by less than 12 until the 10:00 mark in the game. A 3-pointer by Malique Judd made it a 10-point contest at 68-58 but Piedmont did not break, once again stretching out the lead thanks to an 8-0 run that ended with just over four minutes remaining.

Piedmont's largest lead came with 3:01 to play as NICK RYAN made a jumper in the paint to lead 89-68, a 21-point lead. Fittingly, the final bucket made from the field came from behind the arc as DAVID OGLESBY hit the 13th 3-pointer of the game for Piedmont. 

Turning Point
--An 11-0 run starting at the 15:48 mark gave Piedmont the lead and the Lions never trailed again after the 14:36 mark in the first half. 

Standout Performances
--JUSTIN VALLEJO continues to lead the way for the Lions as he scored a game-high 20 points adding a team-high six rebounds as well.
--CHASE ENGLAND was just behind Vallejo adding 18 points playing 29 minutes, the most of any Lion Saturday. 

Inside the Box Score
--Piedmont tied the season high number of 3-pointers made with 13 against the Battling Bishops, ten of those coming in the first half. 
--Of the 13 3-pointers made for the Lions, eight different players banked shots from behind the arc with no player scoring more than two 3-pointers. 

News & Notes
--Piedmont has now won four in a row and five of the last six contests to move above .500 at 8-7 overall. 

Up Next
The Lions are back in action inside Cave Arena Wednesday, January 18 taking on Covenant College at 7:30 p.m.

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.