By Joshua J. Darling, Sports Information Director
PIEDMONT, Ga. – Entering the fourth quarter trailing by one, LaGrange (13-4, 7-1 CCS) used a dominant 20-4 late fourth quarter run to knock off Piedmont (9-8, 5-3 CCS) by a 76-63 score in an NCAA Division III women's basketball game on Wednesday, January 25.
Sophomore guard Zyhia Johnson (Homerville, Ga.) erupted for a game-high 24 points to go with five boards to pace the Panthers while freshman guard Laila Battle (Smyrna, Ga.) was right behind her with 22 points. She collected half of those at the line, going 11-of-14 and added five caroms and three steals.
Freshman forward Amanda McLendon (Orlando, Fla.) just missed a double-double, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals and senior guard Gracie Brunel (Broxton, Ga.) came away with five points, five caroms and four assists. Senior center Jada Strickland (Fairburn, Ga.) rounded out the top performers as she chipped in with six points.
The teams traded mini 4-0 runs over the first 2:22 before three different scorers gave LaGrange a 10-4 lead behind a 6-0 burst culminating at the 5:19 mark. That margin would grow to seven, 13-6, over the next minute before the Lions responded with six straight points of their own to cut it to one with 1:34 left in the opening period. A three and a free throw by Battle then helped cap the frame with the Panthers leading 17-14.
A three by Ashley Scott to open the second knotted it up but only briefly as LC managed a 5-0 stretch to pull back ahead 22-17 just over two minutes in. From there the Lions put together an 8-2 stretch to flip the script and take a 25-24 lead midway through, albeit briefly. A jumper by Johnson 26 seconds later would take back the lead and spark a 9-4 run that sent the teams to the half with the Panthers up 33-29.
A bucket by Mclendon in the first five seconds of the third stretched to a six-point advantage before a scoring drought for both teams over the next 1:37 kept the score right there. Trailing 37-31 at the 8:06 mark, Piedmont got off the deck and scored the next nine points to take back the lead and held on to it until LaGrange deadlocked it at 44-44 with 4:35 on the clock.
From there the clubs would battle through three ties and three lead changes, the last two of the latter seeing Strickland hit a layup for a 52-50 lead with 1:03 to play and the Lions' Nakiyah Washington topping her with a long ball 21 seconds later that gave PC a one-point margin heading to the fourth.
Following an opening triple by Laken Stiles to push to a four-point advantage, that decisive period would turn dramatically for the Panthers. Piedmont would manage a 59-56 lead with 6:44 to play but could only largely watch as LaGrange picked them apart to the tune of a game-ending 20-4 run.
That stretch would see Battle deliver 10 points, six of which came at the foul line as the Panthers went 12-of-15 and held Piedmont to just 2-of-10 shooting from the field. That effort took LC from down three to a commanding 76-63 victory in the span of just under seven minutes.
Washington led the way for the Lions, finishing with a team-high tying 17 points along with seven boards, two assists, three steals and a pair of blocks. She was joined by Scott with 17 points in 38 minutes of work while Stiles notched seven points and seven assists. Destiny Deetz and Riley Bryan added eight and six points, respectively.
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, January 28 when they head to Agnes Scott. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia.
