NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 75, LaGrange 73
Records: Piedmont, 17-10; LaGrange, 20-7

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LIVE VIDEO

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LIVE STATS

BEREA, Ky. - The Piedmont women's basketball team is headed to the Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament Final after outlasting LaGrange in a 75-73 thriller on Saturday afternoon in CCS Semifinals in Berea, Kentucky.

In a back-and-forth game where neither side was able to pull away, the Lady Lions grabbed a late six-point lead and held on in the final seconds to defeat the Panthers and move to one win away from a conference title.



 

FINAL | Headed to the Ship!

Tomorrow, we play for the big ??

Piedmont 75, LaGrange 73 pic.twitter.com/qmgJPd1P88

— Piedmont WBB (@PiedmontWBB) February 25, 2023

The scoring attack was balanced for Piedmont, as DESTINY DEETZ led the team with 13 points while COLBY REED added 12 off the bench and freshman RILEY BRYAN was sensational, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting. Senior NAKIYAH WASHINGTON was the fourth and final Lady Lion to reach double figures as she scored nine of her 11 points from the free throw line, including two big free throws late to help seal the deal.

Both teams struggled from the outside, as Piedmont prevailed despite an ice cold 0-for-17 from downtown. LaGrange did not fare much better from deep, connecting on just 1-of-9.

The Lady Lions pulled in an incredible 53 rebounds with 32 offensive rebounds leading to 17 second chance points.

In the back-and-forth battle, the score was tied a total of 12 times as the lead changed hands seven times.

The game went into halftime knotted up at 34 apiece. 

Coming out of the locker room, the third quarter brought more of the same. The Lions led by as many as three in the third and the Panthers led by as many as four. However, after Deetz made 1-of-2 free throws at the end of the period, the Panthers took a 50-49 lead into the final quarter.

Back-to-back layups from Bryan and Deetz saw Piedmont jump ahead quickly in the fourth, but true to form, the Panthers answered back with a quick couple of baskets themselves to retake the lead.

LaGrange held a slight edge until a pair of NAE-NAE EADES free throws gave the Lions the lead back at 61-60 with 4:20 remaining. Then, after a Laila Battle layup allowed the Panthers to knot the score at 64-all with two minutes left, the Lady Lions then converted their next six free throws in a row (two each from LU WOOLFOLK, Washington and BENTLEY CRONIC) to push their lead to a game-high six points.

Although the Panthers did not go away easily in the final minute, cutting the Piedmont lead to 73-72, a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds from Washington helped push the Lions over the top while the last second shot by LaGrange missed the mark.




 

First ever @CCofSouth championship game tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/GRxsiVgC68

— Piedmont WBB (@PiedmontWBB) February 25, 2023

Up next, the Lions will battle familiar foe Berea for the CCS Championship. Tipoff is scheduled for tomorrow, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.

TURNING POINT:
- Piedmont was a rock solid 16-of-20 (80%) from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, leading to the victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Deetz continues her impressive play of late, scoring in double figures for the third straight game and fourth time in her last five games, with 13 points to lead the team.
- Freshman RILEY BRYAN came up huge off the bench, adding 11 much-needed points and nine rebounds in the two-point win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- The two teams combined for 1-of-26 shooting from beyond the arc with Piedmont making 0-of-17 and LaGrange making 1-of-9.
- The two teams combined to shoot 82 free throws in the contest as Piedmont made 31-of-47 on the evening.
- The Lady Lions forced 23 LaGrange turnovers while only committing 17.

NEWS AND NOTES:
- This marks the fourth time in the past six seasons that Piedmont and Berea have met with a conference tournament title on the line.
- The Lions prevailed in 2018 and 2019 while the Mountaineers won in 2020.
- Berea took both regular season meetings by double digits.

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