Women's Basketball 2/10/2024 7:19:00 PM Danny Talbert

Panthers secure 74-71 Senior Day OT win

Box Score Women's Basketball won 74-71 in OT against Piedmont in the final home game of the season (Feb. 10).

First half details
The Panthers opened today's game on a 5-0 run after Piedmont turned the ball over on their first two possessions. Ashley Free began her senior day knocking down a wide-open LC three. Despite starting off slow, Piedmont would storm back to take an 11-10 lead with under six in the first period. Over the next few minutes, the Lions would extend their lead to 17-10, but the Panthers were able to stick around thanks to a pair of Panther threes. At the end of the first, the score was tied at 21 all. Britney Chavez had the Panther crowd on their feet cheering when she made a fantastic steal on the Lion guard attempting to isolate her. Not even a minute later, Amanda Mclendon made a thunderous block which also had the Panther faithful going crazy. The LC defense was locked in today from the very first whistle. The game would be tied at 33 going into the halftime break. Laila Battle had a team-high eight points, shooting 35% from the field.

Second half details
The third quarter continued to be an incredibly tight game. The period would end with Piedmont up 50-47. It felt like each time the Panthers would score, the Lions would immediately respond. At the end of the third, the lead had changed a total of 11 times. The fourth quarter began with Piedmont capitalizing on two Panther turnovers which extended their lead to 58-49. With under five minutes, the Panthers began to claw back. Ema Turner would hit a huge late three to bring Piedmont's lead to 62-56. On the next play, Zyhia Johnson made a contested layup to cut the Lion's lead to just four with under two minutes left in the game. With under a minute remaining, Skyler Edward's had the packed gym on their feet and cheering when she hit a jumper over her defender to tie the game at 62-62. Regulation ended with the game tied at 62.

Overtime details
As expected, the extra time did not allow either team to widen their lead. In the final five minutes, the teams continued to trade points. LC jumped in front 67–66 thanks to Zyhia Johnson knocking down her two free throws. It cannot be overstated how evenly matched these two teams looked throughout today. With 40 seconds left, Amanda Mclendon made an excellent steal and finished the play by hitting a layup to extend the LC lead to 69-66. The Panthers would hold on to win 74-71 in a nail biter.

Top Panther performance
Zyhia Johnson scored a team-high 16 points, shooting 33% from the field. She also finished with seven rebounds and two assists.

Next game details
The Panthers head to Huntingdon next Saturday (Feb. 17) for their final game of the year. The game is set to begin at 4 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Laila Battle: Guard; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#3 Britney Chavez: Guard; 5' 7"; Junior

#14 Ashley Free: Guard; 5' 5"; Senior

#11 Zyhia Johnson: Guard; 5' 7"; Junior

#4 Amanda Mclendon: Forward; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#1 Ema Turner: Guard; 5' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#12 Laila Battle
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: Guard

#3 Britney Chavez
: 5' 7"; Junior
: Guard

#14 Ashley Free
: 5' 5"; Senior
: Guard

#11 Zyhia Johnson
: 5' 7"; Junior
: Guard

#4 Amanda Mclendon
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: Forward

#1 Ema Turner
: 5' 5"; Junior
: Guard