NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Huntingdon 71, Piedmont 67
Records: Piedmont, 11-14; Huntingdon, 19-6

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Piedmont men's basketball was unable to hold a late lead, falling 71-67 at No. 3 seed Huntingdon in the opening round of the CCS Conference Tournament Tuesday night in Montgomery.

The Lions used an early second half run to build a double digit lead. Unfortunately, the Hawks fired back, closing with a 23-6 run over the final 9:01 to take the win and advance to the semifinals.

Fisher Darden paced the Lions, scoring a team-high 17 points and knocking down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Javi Marlowe added 16 points along with five rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 33 minutes of action.

However, the Lions were unable to contain Huntingdon's BJ Brown, who scored a game-high 27 points and made 4-of-8 three-point attempts.

Piedmont struggled out of the gate, falling behind 23-10 after the first nine minutes of play. The Lions were able to dominate the middle third of the game thanks to a 19-6 run of their own late in the first half, culminating with a Jackson Houston three-pointer to tie the score at 29-29.

Marlowe's three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half cut the Huntingdon lead to 39-38 at the break.

The Lions then led by as many as 13 points in the second half before the decisive Hawks run to close the game. 

With the win, Huntingdon earns a three-game sweep over Piedmont this season with two of the wins coming by four points or less.

The loss concludes Piedmont's season with an 11-15 record.

TURNING POINT:
- Huntingdon shut down the Piedmont offense over the final minutes to close the game on a 23-6 run and overcome a 13-point second half decficit.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Darden scored 17 points and was an efficient 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
- Marlowe was excellent all around, with 16 points, five rebounds, four blocks and three assists.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- The Hawks dominated the rebounding battle, owning a 49-33 edge on the glass.

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.