Box Score The Piedmont College Lions used an 8-0 run in the final five minutes to pull away from the Maryville College Scots for a 79-71 USA South victory in Maryville, Tennessee on Wednesday evening.
Maryville (14-10, 5-8 USA South) earned a first half advantage 40-39 after a 17-2 run put the Scots up by nine just five minutes into the contest. Piedmont fought back with 48-percent shooting effort that included a 4-for-9 clip from beyond the arc. The Lions out muscled MC on the boards 18-15 at the break.
Piedmont crashed the boards with 24 second-half rebounds, limiting Maryville to many second shot opportunities. The Lions took care of the ball while pounding the ball inside for a second-half 57-percent shooting effort from the floor. The Scots could not find their touch from long distance (2-for-12) and only hit 35-percent of their second half shots.
Collectively, Piedmont out rebounded MC 48-32 during the challenge. The 71-71 tie at the 5:00 mark featured Lions baskets by Trae Gaines, Chase England, and Kelly Assinesi to seal the tough road victory.
Piedmont (15-9, 7-6 USA South) was paced by six players scoring in double digits. Chase England was 5-for-9 from the field for for a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. Peyton Luken and Trae Gaines each tossed in 13 points with Gaines pulling down 10 boards. Chris Meeks and Kelly Assinesi added a dozen while Justin Vallejo tossed in 11 points. The Lions finished the game with a 52-percent shooting effort adding a 7-for-14 effort from downtown.
Maryville was led by senior Spencer Shoffner's game-high 18 points with Tyler Spicer posting a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Jay Bowyer and Dante Hoppa each contributed 12 points in the league loss.
Prior to the home season finale, MC's three seniors were honored for their accomplishments. Jaumonee Byrd, injured throughout the season, leaves the program as the program's 21st leading scorer with 1,134 career points. Spencer Shoffner is still accumulating points and is presently 16th on the all-time list with 1,297 career points. Despite a pair of injuries this season, Logan Brewer was strong in the post with over 415 career points and over 220 career rebounds. This trio has posted a 57035 career record while going 31-24 in league challenges.
The Scots will conclude their regular season schedule on Saturday in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Maryville will challenge Covenant College for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off.
