DECATUR, Ga.—USA South West Division leader Piedmont took care of business with a 71-53 victory at Agnes Scott College on Sunday afternoon at the Woodruff Gymnasium. Behind the near flawless showing from junior point guard Amari Price (Hiram, Ga.), Piedmont was able to build up a 15-point lead in the first half and kept the Scotties at bay in the second half to clinch the contest.
Piedmont improves to 6-0 in conference action and 12-3 overall. Agnes Scott will enter its road contest versus Wesleyan College at 0-6 and 0-15.
The Scotties displayed plenty of energy coming out of the tip but were unable to hit their first 11 shots from the floor to begin the game. On the other end, Piedmont started 5-of-6 from the floor thanks to the vision of Price.
Agnes Scott found its shot in the second half as several threes from Annie Weimerskirch (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Kalin Smith (Kiln, Miss.) began to find the center of the iron. The Scotties trimmed the deficit to seven points in the middle of the second quarter before Piedmont used a combination of a highly efficient offense and a full-court press to pull away for a 39-24 halftime advantage.
The game fully swung in Piedmont's favor in the third as the Lions blitzed the Scotties out of the break. After Agnes Scott scored on the opening possession of the period, Piedmont scored 19 consecutive points over the next five minutes and eventually held a 62-29 lead with under two to go before the final quarter.
Agnes Scott saved its best quarter for last, using a mixture of smooth offense and hustle defense that had been missing in spurts earlier. Junior Garis Grant (Charleston, S.C.) erupted in a big way with eight points, six rebounds and two steals in the fourth quarter alone.
The Scotties outscored Piedmont 24-9 over the final 12 minutes of regulation to make it a closer final. Fifty-three points was a season-high for the home side.
Smith led all scorers with 19 points while making a season-high five triples. Grant's big fourth quarter gave her a second consecutive double-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, and two steals. Deja White (Loganville, Ga.) had a career-high six points with a perfect 3-for-3 day from the floor.
Price finished just a rebound short of a double-double for the Lions at 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Rachel Irby (Kennesaw, Ga.) had a strong day with 10 points in just 15 minutes of action.