Need to Know
Score: Piedmont 79, Methodist 85
Records: Lions 3-5, 2-2 USA South, Monarchs 5-2, 1-0 USA South
Location: Demorest, Georgia

DEMOREST, Ga. - A late second half comeback was not enough for the Piedmont College men's basketball team on Saturday dropping an 85-79 decision to Methodist University on the home court. The Lions trailed by as many as 20 in the contest and came within two points in the final minute, but it was too late as the Monarchs held on for victory.

Piedmont's first three baskets made were 3-pointers as the Lions took a five point lead before the first media timeout. The Lions held the lead until the 12:06 mark when Jackson Whitley made a 3-pointer to put Methodist on top 16-15. The two battled back-and-forth but an 11-3 run over the final minutes of the first half gave the Monarchs a 37-29 lead at halftime.

Methodist extended its lead to 14 over the opening minutes of the final period but the Lions continued to hit timely 3-pointers to stay in the contest. A 9-0 run for Methodist made it a 20 point advantage, but the Lions were not done fighting.

Over the final six minutes of the game, Piedmont allowed just one basket from the floor as 15 of Methodist's 17 points in the final six minutes came from the charity stripe. The Lions outscored Methodist 31-17 over the final 7:05 of the game, but it was too late as Methodist's lead lifted them to their first conference victory.

Turning Point
--A nine point run for the Monarchs midway through the second half gave them a 20-point lead at 68-48 and created a large enough margin to preserve the victory in the final minutes.

Standout Performances
--JUSTIN VALLEJO led all scorers with 27 points in the game going 3-of-4 from 3-point range.

Inside the Box Score
--Methodist had three players score 20 or more points with Bryan Rouse leading the way scoring 25 with five of Methodist's eight 3-pointers.
--The Lions scored more points in the final 7:05 of the game than they did in the first half of the contest.

News & Notes
--Piedmont made just three free throws in the contest to the Monarchs 21 points at the charity stripe, in large part due to late fouling as Methodist was 11-of-14 at the line over the final 2:07 of the game.

Up Next
--The Lions head to the Rhodes Holiday Classic on Monday December 18 to take on the host team Rhodes College at 6:00 p.m.

How to Follow
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