NEED TO KNOW
Score: Belhaven 85, Piedmont 80 F/OT
Records: Piedmont, 16-11 (6-6 CCS); Belhaven, 18-9 (8-4 CCS)

MARYVILLE, Tenn. - In the CCS semifinals, the Piedmont men's basketball team was unable to close it out at the end falling 85-80 in overtime against Belhaven. The Lions led by as many as seven in the second half but it was a tight contest throughout, ultimately ending in overtime in favor of the Blazers. 

It was a low-scoring affair early as Belhaven led 12-11 at the 10:00 mark midway through the first half. Piedmont would not put 20 points on the board until the 5:15 mark when Devin Dean hit a jumper to trail 23-21. 

Three-pointers down the stretch kept the Lions close as Piedmont hit three 3-pointers in the final five minutes of the first half to trail 32-30 at the break. 

The lead was never more than seven in the game as Belhaven went up 42-35 in the second half before the Lions began to chip away. Piedmont took the lead with 5:53 to play after Fisher Darden made a layup to lead 63-62. 

Back-to-back Noah Reardon 3-pointers put the Lions up by seven, 69-62, but Piedmont would add just one basket from the floor in the final four minutes while the Blazers went on an 11-2 run before Ryan Jolly made free throws at the end to force OT. 

Piedmont was unable to keep pace with the Blazers making just one basket from the floor in OT. The Lions were out-rebounded 52-35 in the contest as Belhaven tallied 20 offensive rebounds to Piedmont's seven. 

TURNING POINT:
--The Lions were unable to score down the stretch going scoreless over the final 3:30 of the game outside of a pair of clutch free throws with four seconds to play by Ryan Jolly to force overtime. 

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--Ryan Jolly closed out his career with 28 points to lead all scorers playing 42 minutes after just eight in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. 
--Seniors Noah Reardon and Devin Dean added 16 and 10 points, respectively. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
--Piedmont was swept by Belhaven in all three matchups during the 2023-24 season. 

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 X: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook.