Box Score The Maryville College women's basketball squad picked up a key USA South Athletic Conference victory on Saturday afternoon, as the Scots downed the Piedmont College Lions, 74-45 inside Boydson Baird Gymnasium.
MC totaled 15 assists on 21 field goals, while the stout Scots' defense kept the Lions to just a 1-of-16 effort from long range. Piedmont went 6.2 percent from three-point range, while mustering just a 30-percent effort from the floor.
The Orange and Garnet saw four players tally double figures, including Courtney Carruthers, Klaire Varney, Shelby Hix and Elsa Eckenrod.
Maryville took the first quarter, 17-9, after falling behind early. Varney led seven players in the scoring column with four points, as the Scots' defense allowed just four field goals by Piedmont. Abbi Joseph had three points, while Carruthers added two points and two assists in the first quarter rally.
Piedmont took a one-point lead, 9-8, with 3:56 left, as Maryville would score the final nine points of the quarter to take an eight-point advantage into the second.
In the second quarter, the Scots saw their lead shrink to eight, before they would go on a 8-1 run to extend it to 15 on a Hix trey. By the half, MC had extended that lead to 17, 38-21.
Varney had seven points in the second, while Hix had three points, three assists and a pair of steals. Eckenrod, Carruthers and Kelley Wandell had three points each, as the Scots outscored Piedmont, 21-12. Amari Price and Brittany Walker combined for nine of the Lions' 12 second-quarter points.
In the second half, it would be all Maryville College, as the defense stymied Piedmont for just six second-half field goals. The Lions were held to a 27.3 percent effort in the second half from the floor, as they managed their first and only 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, MC shot 34.8 percent with five treys. The Scots also managed a 15-of-18 effort from the free-throw line in the last 20 minutes.
Maryville College (10-4, 3-2 USA South) was led by Carruthers' 18 points. She went 4-of-7 from long range, while adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals without a single turnover. Varney added 14 points, six boards, five steals and two assists, as Hix had 12 points. She added team highs in rebounds and assists with seven and six, while posting four steals.
Eckenrod had 10 points and six rebounds, as Libby Gardner added nine points, two assists, two steals and a rebound. Abbi Joseph had five points, three rebounds and two blocks, while Wandell added five points, five rebounds, two assists and a block. Kaylee Collier added a point for the Scots in the win.
Maryville shot 21-of-53 (39.6 percent), while knocking down nine treys at a 37.5-percent effort. The Scots went 23-of-28 from the free-throw line, as they outrebounded the Lions, 40-37.
Piedmont College (7-7, 3-2) shot 30 percent (15-of-50) on the day, while going 1-of-16 from three-point range with a 6.3-percent effort. They went just 14-of-28 at the charity stripe for a 50-percent mark.
The Lions were led by freshman Emily Wiley who had 11 points, while Amari Price added 11 points off the bench. Kelly Ackerman had eight points, as Brittany Walker had six points and six rebounds.
Maryville College will have a week off before they travel to Lookout Mountain, Ga. for the Battle of the Scots. Tip-off in the USA South challenge is slated for 2:00 p.m.
