NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Oglethorpe 78, Piedmont 65
Records: Piedmont, 0-1; Oglethorpe, 1-0

DEMOREST, Ga. - Piedmont women's basketball fell in a close battle in the team's season and home opener, 78-65, on Saturday afternoon inside Cave Arena.

The Lions had three players in double figures on the day, led by junior forward Alexandria Willis, who poured in 18 points to go along with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. Senior Riley Bryan earned the start and contributed a solid 14 points and five rebounds while freshman Kylie Watkins tallied 12 points and seven rebounds in her Piedmont debut.

In a defensive battle in the early going, the Lions were slow to start offensively, falling behind 10-2 before battling back to cut their deficit to 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.

Piedmont held tough in the second quarter, but the Stormy Petrels scored the final five points of the half to lead 32-27.

Although the Lions remained within striking distance, fighting back multiple times in the second half, Oglethorpe held them at arm's length and pulled away late to win by double digits.

Oglethorpe's Keimarya Rivera led all scorers, with 23 points and nine rebounds while making all five of her free throws.

Up next, the Lions will try to bounce back with another Saturday afternoon home contest, hosting Sewanee on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. as part of the CCS / SAA Classic.

TURNING POINT:
- After the Lions cut their deficit to 48-45 with 1:36 left in the third quarter, Oglethorpe outscored the Lions 30-20 the rest of the way to pull out the victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Willis led the Lions with 18 points.
- Bryan led the backcourt with 14 points after earning the start.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Oglethorpe held a 47-39 rebounding advantage.

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.