GSAC-leader Piedmont uses late run to down Panthers
Jan. 26, 2008

Piedmont College pulled away in the final minutes to down LaGrange College 85-69 in a GSAC game Saturday at Mariotti Gym. It was the third straight loss for the Panthers, now 7-11 overall and 2-5 in conference play. The Lady Lions upped their overall record to 14-3 overall and stayed unbeaten in conference play at 4-0.

The Panthers got a career-high 24 points from Jessica Barba, who had a double-double with a game-high 15 rebounds. Barba was 8-for-10 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Ebonie Johnson added 16 points, while Jessica Boler had 14.

Sheena Trimiar led all scorers with a career-high 31 points and 14 steals. Trimiar made 11-of-14 shots from the floor and all nine of her free throws. Beth Adcock followed Trimiar with 16 points and Mandy Beasley had 13. The Panthers held the Lady Lions' leading scorer, Nikki Sosebee, to five points.

Despite never leading in the game, the Panthers stayed with the Lady Lions until the final three minutes. Trailing 62-55 with 5:32 left in the game, the Panthers came back to tie the game. Barba completed a three-point play and on the Panthers' next possession, scored inside to make it 62-60. Ashley DeFreitas tied the game for the only time at 62 by hitting a pair of free throws with 3:24 left.

But the Panthers turned the ball over their next three possessions. They had 34 turnovers in the game, leading to 41 points by the Lady Lions. Piedmont took advantage of the miscues to score seven straight points and open up a 69-62 lead. The Panthers never got closer than five the rest of the way. The Lady Lions finished the game on an 11-2 run for the 85-69 final.

In the first half, the Panthers fell behind by eight in the early going. Melissa Mora's 3-pointer drew the Panthers within two, 15-13, with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Panthers got within two twice more in the half, the last on layup by Barba to make it 26-24. The Lady Lions pushed their lead to eight, 38-30, by halftime.

Piedmont shot 54 percent from the floor in the game. The Lady Lions hit 28-of-36 free throws in the game. LaGrange shot 43.6 percent from the floor in the game and made 16-of-21 free throws. The Panthers enjoyed a 44-19 rebounding advantage in the game.

The Panthers play at Toccoa Falls on Thursday in a non-conference game.