NEED TO KNOW:
Score: UT Dallas 70, Piedmont 66
Records: UT Dallas, 2-0; Piedmont, 1-2
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In its first contest in just over a month, the Piedmont women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in the final minute, 71-65, against UT Dallas on day one of the Richard Dardenne Memorial Classic in Birmingham.
 
The Lady Lions (1-2) battled the Comets (2-0) throughout the night and the game was tied at 66 apiece going into the final minute. However, UT Dallas scored the final four points of the game to emerge with the victory.
 
LIVIA SKINNER and HOPE FRANKLIN led Piedmont with 17 points each while NAKIYAH WASHINGTON added 15. Franklin led the Lady Lions with nine rebounds while Skinner added six steals and four assists in the loss.
 
The difference in the contest was at the free throw line where the Comets converted 22-of-33 while PC made just 7-of-14 from the stripe.
 
After a closely contested first quarter that saw the teams tied at 18-all, UTD closed the first half on a 7-0 run to take a 38-32 lead into the locker room.
 
Piedmont emerged from the break and reeled off a quick 5-0 to cut its deficit to one in the first minute of the second half. However, the Comets were able to stretch their lead back to seven headed to the final quarter.
 
Layups by Washington and Franklin cut the PC deficit to 53-50 in the early minutes of the fourth as UT Dallas desperately held off the Lady Lions, leading by no more than five points throughout the period.
 
Piedmont battled all the way back to knot the score up at 66 on LU WOOLFOLK's layup with 1:02 remaining before the Comets earned their way to the free throw line and made four of their final six to seal the game in the last minute.
 
Up next, Piedmont will play game two of three in Birmingham, battling host Birmingham-Southern tomorrow at 2 p.m. eastern at Bill Battle Coliseum.
 
TURNING POINT:
- With the score knotted at 66-all with a minute left, UTD's All-American Raenett Hughes earned a trip to the free throw line and gave the Comets the lead for good.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Sophomore HOPE FRANKLIN continued her dominant start to the season, scoring 17 points to go with nine rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting.
- Transfer guard LIVIA SKINNER tied for the team lead with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Skinner (17), Franklin (17) and Washington (15) combined to score 49 of Piedmont's 66 total points for the contest.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW:
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