WILMORE, Ky. – For the second consecutive game, Piedmont women’s basketball saw a furious comeback attempt fall just short, this time in an 84-79 road loss at Asbury Wednesday night in Kentucky.
After Saturday’s defensive showdown against LaGrange, the Lions and Eagles showed offensive firepower on Wednesday, wth the score racing into the 80’s. Piedmont fell behind by double digits in the early going, but responded with a 48-point second half and gave the Eagles a late scare before running out of time.
Emily Sizemore was unstoppable for Asbury, scoring 35 points to lead all scorers. For the Lions, Ava Hunterdelivered another strong performance, recording a double double with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting while adding 10 rebounds.
Alexandria Willis returned to the lineup, scoring 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes of action. Gracie Deetz was the third and final Lion to reach double figures, with 11 points and 10 rebounds, marking her first double double as a Lion.
While Piedmont raced out to a quick 7-0 lead and still held a two-point advantage heading to the second quarter, the Eagles quickly answered back with a 24-15 edge in the second quarter to take a 38-31 lead into the break.
Asbury began to extend the lead in the third quarter, with a 59-39 edge late in the period.
However, the Lions were undeterred, with a Brooklyn Begley three-pointer cutting the margin to 10 points in the final seconds before the final quarter.
Piedmont continued to chip away at the Asbury lead in the fourth quarter, but it was just a little late, with the Eagles holding on thanks to a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Up next, the Lions will head north to Rochester, New York for a pair of contests at the Sandy DeWolf McCormack Memorial Holiday Tournament. The Lions will first take on SUNY Potsdam this Saturday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
– Asbury outscored Piedmont 48-33 over the second and third quarters, which proved to be the difference.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Sizemore erupted for a huge scoring game, with 35 points to carry the Eagles to victory.
– Hunter (18 pts, 11 reb) and Deetz (11 pts, 10 reb) each produced double doubles for the Lions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– Six different Lions connected on a three-pointer during the game.
– Asbury forced 33 Piedmont turnovers while committing only 16.
