NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 79, Covenant 46
Records: Piedmont, 11-3 (5-1 USA South); Covenant, 6-6 (3-3 USA South)

DEMOREST, Ga. - In its long-awaited return to Cave Arena, the Piedmont women's basketball team roared past Covenant, 79-46, on Friday night in Demorest.

The game was closely contested in the early going, but an 11-0 Piedmont run midway through the second quarter proved to be the difference in the blowout victory.

Assistant Coach Brad Cochran led the Lady Lions in the absence of Head Coach Jamie Purdy.

Once again, it was a balanced scoring attack for Piedmont, with KLAIRE VARNEY, LIVIA SKINNER and NAKIYAH WASHINGTON each pouring in 14 points to pace the team.. KYRIAKI TAYLOR joined the trio in double figures and also posted her first double-double as a Lady Lion with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win.



While its offense struggled out of the gate, the Lady Lions used their pressure defense to build an 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Scots were held to just 21 percent shooting over the first 10 minutes.

The second quarter marked the turning point as an 11-0 run gave the Lady Lions a double digit lead they held the rest of the way. Varney led the way in the first half, scoring 12 of her 14 points and knocking down 3-of-4 from long range as Piedmont took a 33-18 advantage to the locker room.

As Piedmont continued to increase its comfortable lead throughout the second half, Skinner scored all 14 of her points in the final 20 minutes after battling foul trouble in the first.

Covenant's Ruthie Moore delivered a solid effort in defeat, leading all scorers with 17 points and knocking down 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Up next, Piedmont is back in action tomorrow at 2 p.m. as it hosts LaGrange looking to improve its winning streak to six games.

TURNING POINT:
- Piedmont used an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter to take a double digit lead and control of the contest.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Varney played a complete overall game, supporting her 14 points with five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
- Taylor delivered her first career double-double, finishing one shy of her career high with 11 points while pulling in 10 rebounds for the second consecutive game.
- Washington posted her first double-double of the season, with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Piedmont shared the ball exceptionally well, with 19 assists as a team. LU WOOLFOLK led the way with four while Varney, Skinner, Taylor, KARLA CANTRELL and NAE-NAE EADES dished out three each.
- The Lady Lions' press was effective as usual, as they forced 24 Covenant turnovers and turned them in to 25 points.

NEWS AND NOTES:
- Piedmont has won its past three USA South contests by an average of 38.7 points.
- The win gives Piedmont a seven-game win streak over the Scots.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
- To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont University 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.