NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 78, Maryville 71
Records: Piedmont, 15-3 (9-1 USA South); Maryville, 7-10 (4-5 USA South)

MARYVILLE, Tenn. - The Piedmont women's basketball team jumped out to a big early lead and held off a late Maryville rally in a 78-71 road win Saturday afternoon.

LIVIA SKINNER finished one shy of her season high with 27 points and made 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to go with six rebounds, five assists and four steals. NAKIYAH WASHINGTON continued her outstanding play of late, with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The junior from Adairsville, Georgia also filled the stat sheet with five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

After a back-and-forth battle in the early minutes, Piedmont took control with a 15-3 run over the final 2:44 of the first quarter thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Maryville transfer KLAIRE VARNEY, who scored 12 points in the game for the Lady Lions.

Piedmont's lead only increased in the second quarter. The Scots were able to cut their deficit to 30-22 with 6:29 left in the period. However, the Lady Lions held Maryville to just three points the rest of the first half and went to the locker room with a 43-25 cushion.

The lead for Piedmont remained comfortable throughout the third quarter but the Scots clawed their way back into the contest and were within striking distance trailing by just 11 points going into the final quarter.

Maryville nearly completed the miraculous comeback, cutting the Piedmont lead to 73-71 with 1:22 remaining. However, Piedmont responded as Washington's layup with 27 seconds left pushed the lead back to four points and the Lady Lions were able to stave off the rally.

Up next, Piedmont will be right back in action tomorrow at Cave Arena, hosting Huntingdon at 3 p.m.

TURNING POINT:
- After Maryville cut the Piedmont lead to just two points in the final minutes, the Lady Lions forced a turnover and on the next possession, NAKIYAH WASHINGTON corralled the offensive rebound and converted the putback layup to help seal the victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Skinner delivered another dominant performance, showcasing her versatility with a game-high 27 points to go with four three-pointers, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
- Washington scored in double figures for the seventh straight game, with a highly efficient 18 points on just nine field goal attempts.
- HOPE FRANKLIN came off the bench and scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 14 minutes while battling foul trouble.
- In her return to her former home court for the first time as a Lady Lion, Varney poured in 12 points and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Piedmont once again won the turnover battle, scoring 33 points off turnovers compared to just nine for Maryville.

NEWS AND NOTES:
- Skinner's 27-point effort marks the second straight game at Maryville in which she has scored 27 points. She also scored 27 in last season's regular season finale on Feb. 28.
- The win for the Lady Lions marks five straight regular season victories 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.