NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 64, Belhaven 51
Records: Piedmont, 20-7; Belhaven, 17-10
DEMOREST, Ga. - Piedmont women's basketball clinched its first ever Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament Title, rolling over Belhaven in the second half with a 64-51 win on Saturday afternoon inside Cave Arena.
Nae-Nae Eades was the catalyst for the Lions on offense, scoring a career-high 20 points on 18-of-22 from the free throw line while dishing out four assists. After the game, she was named CCS Tournament MVP.
Eades was joined in double figures by
Alexandria Willis, who tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds, her fourth double double of the season. Seniors
Ashley Scott and
Andelin Hill pitched in as well, with Scott scoring 13 points and Hill grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds in the win.
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Both teams struggled shooting the ball, with Piedmont claiming the win despite a 25.4% field goal percentage. However, the Lions were stifling on the defensive end, holding the Blazers to 27.7% shooting.
Piedmont's aggressiveness on offense was the difference, shooting a season-high 40 free throws and making 31 of them, led by Eades' 18-of-22 performance.Â
For the second straight game, it was a slow start for the Lions, with Belhaven jumping out to an 8-1 lead. Despite trailing for most of the first quarter, the Lions cut their deficit to 19-17 on an
Ava Hunter layup in the final seconds of the first quarter.
While Belhaven was 8-of-12 from the field in the first quarter, the Piedmont defense was lockdown the rest of the game, holding the Blazers to just 10 field goals over the final three quarters. After Belhaven led 27-22 with 6:20 left in the second quarter, Piedmont did not allow another point until 5:37 left in the third quarter. By that point, the Lions had taken control with a 22-0 run to lead 44-27.
From there, Piedmont led by double digits the rest of the way, icing the championship down the stretch thanks to rock solid free throw shooting, smothering defense and relentless rebounding.
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This marks Piedmont's first conference tournament title since three-peating in the USA South from 2017-19. The last of those three wins came in 2019 at Cave Arena.
The win gives the Lions an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the placement and matchup being announced Monday.
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TURNING POINT:
- Piedmont used a 22-0 run, holding the Blazers scoreless for over 11 minutes to take control of the game.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
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Nae-Nae Eades delivered a career-high 20 points, 18 of which came on made free throws.
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Andelin Hill pulled down a career-best 19 rebounds.
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Alexandria Willis tallied a double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
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NEWS AND NOTES:
- This marks the seventh career conference tournament title for head coach
Jamie Purdy. She has now won a conference tournament in three different leagues (3 in the USA South, 3 in the GSAC, 1 in the CCS).
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 onÂ
Twitter: @PiedmontLions,Â
Instagram: @PiedmontLions, andÂ
Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com orÂ
click here.
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