Women’s Basketball

The Lady Lions split their games last weekend, defeating University of Lynchburg 81-73, and falling 82-53 to Emory University.

“We are still learning to play together since it’s the start of a new season with new players,” said junior forward Destiny Deetz, “We are still trying to figure out the little things, but ultimately we show up to play no matter who it is against, which is something I really like about this team.”

On Nov. 19 against the University of Lynchburg, the Lady Lions were led by two career performances from senior guard Colby Reed (19 points) and junior guard Laken Stiles (17 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds).

Division III Powerhouse Emory University got off to a strong start against Piedmont on Nov. 20, leading 23-12 at the end of the first quarter and never looking back. Senior forward Nakiyah Washington led Piedmont with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.

“Emory was a big game for us and it showed us some weaknesses and stuff we need to do better in order to compete with some of the bigger teams we will face later on in the season,” Deetz said. “This is definitely going to help us grow as a team and help us refocus on what we need to do in order to be successful both in conference and in the NCAA tournament.”

The Lady Lions (3-1) will play their first home game of the season on Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. against Greensboro College at Cave Arena.

—Vanessa Manzo

Men’s Basketball

In its home opener, the men’s basketball team jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back, defeating Oglethorpe University 96-67 in Cave Arena.

“Getting the lead right out of the gate felt great because we set the tone of how the game was going to go,” said junior point guard Noah Reardon. “The crowd we had definitely enhanced the environment and made the energy of the team much better.”

Five Lions finished with double-digit points, led by senior guard Ryan Jolly (21 points), Reardon (13 points), junior guard Devin Dean (12 points), senior point guard Orry Clements-Owens (11 points) and senior forward Aaron Palmer (10 points), who also led the team with 8 rebounds.

“This big win at home helped us because we are going to be a tough team to beat, especially when we play on the home court,” said Reardon

On Nov. 19, the Lions headed to Jackson, Mississippi for the Millsaps College Tournament. In the first game, the Lions faced Centenary College of Louisiana, falling 68-55. The Lions could not overcome a quick start from the Gents, who staked an early 11-0 lead.

“The first game of the tournament against Centenary College was a battle back and forth,” said Reardon. “They pulled ahead at the end of the game. We played hard, but we just struggled with turnovers.”

Jolly led the team with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

The second game of the tournament against host Millsaps College came down to the wire, with the Lions pulling out a 63-62 victory on their last possession.

After building a 30-18 lead with 5:02 remaining in the first half, the Majors rallied back to cut the lead to 36-31 at halftime. Milsaps came out strong in the second half, taking their first lead of the game 56-54 with 5:59 left to play. The Lions would go on a 9-2 run to take a 63-56 lead with 2:21, and fended off the Majors to escape with the victory.

Jolly led the team with 19 points and junior forward Garrett Beagle grabbed 8 rebounds.

The Lions return home on Nov. 27 to face the Methodist University Monarchs at the Cave Arena.

—Jessica Sconyers and Emma Marti