NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 68, Maryville 60
Records: Piedmont, 13-3 (11-0 USA South); Maryville, 10-1 (10-1 USA South)

MARYVILLE, Tenn. - The Piedmont women's basketball team vaulted into the top spot in the USA South West Division, rallying past Maryville 68-60 on Saturday evening in Tennessee.

The Lady Lions (13-3, 11-0 USA South) trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half but used a dominant third quarter run to take control of the contest.

It was a balanced scoring attack from Piedmont, which was led by HOPE FRANKLIN's 16 points and 12 rebounds. The sophomore from Blue Ridge, Georgia played a season-high 34 minutes and recorded her sixth double-double of the season. She was joined in double figures by NAKIYAH WASHINGTON, who poured in 13 despite battling foul trouble.

The Lady Lions also received a major spark off the bench from sophomore guard COLBY REED, who connected on all four of her field goals (3-of-3 from three-point range) and scored 11 points in just nine minutes.

Piedmont started slow out of the gate as the Scots (10-1, 10-1 USA South) rolled out to a 16-7 lead late in the first quarter.

Maryville remained in control through much of the second quarter as well, taking a 27-19 lead after a Kelley Wandell free throw with 2:57 left in the first half. That marked where the Lady Lions began to make up ground, closing the half on a 10-2 run as Reed entered with three seconds remaining and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer as PC trailed by just three at the break.

After the Scots emerged from the locker room with a quick 5-0 run, Piedmont answered again, this time with a 9-0 run to take its first lead at 36-34 on a KARLA CANTRELL layup. Then, with the score knotted at 36-all, Reed knocked down three-pointers on back-to-back possessions as the Lady Lions extended their lead to 42-36.

From there, PC had the Scots playing catch up the rest of the way. Maryville was able to cut its deficit to 53-50 early in the fourth quarter, but Piedmont immediately responded with a Washington layup as the Scots were unable to pull any closer.

The Lady Lions were highly efficient on the offensive end in crunch time, shooting 15-of-19 (79 percent)  from the field in the second half.

The win moves Piedmont into first place alone in the USA South West Division.

Up next, the teams will meet again tomorrow at 3 p.m. as the Lady Lions can clinch the No. 1 seed in the upcoming USA South West Division Tournament with a victory.

TURNING POINT:
- Reed's back-to-back three-pointers early in the second half finally gave the Lady Lions some separation which they used to take control of the game and earn the win.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Franklin added six steals to lead the team to go along with her 16 points and 12 rebounds.
- Reed provided instant offense off the bench, scoring 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting in just nine minutes of action.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Piedmont's intense pressure defense forced 29 Maryville turnovers which it converted into 23 points.

NEWS AND NOTES:
- The win marks the fourth time in the last five tries that Piedmont has been victorious at Maryville.

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, and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.