LAGRANGE, Ga. - The LaGrange College Men's Basketball Team (6-18, 1-10 Collegiate Conference of the South) suffered a crushing defeat Saturday night (Feb. 15), to the Lions of Piedmont University (11-13, 3-8 CCS), who took the lead in the final seconds after trailing a majority of the contest to win an 81-80 final from Mariotti Gym.

Game Summary
The game's onset was all Piedmont as they took a 13-point lead in the first nine minutes of the contest. The hosts LaGrange would finally answer, however, jumping in front late in the half after an offensive explosion led by Devin Dowell. The Panthers would hold a five-point lead heading into the locker rooms, up 41-36.

LC's inspired offensive performance continued in the second half, as they went up by as much as 14 in the first 3:30 of the second half. Still with plenty of game left, however, the power struggle between the two teams was on for the remainder of the contest, as LaGrange's lead slowly dwindled into more manageable territory for the visiting Lions. After Piedmont brought the deficit down to three with four minutes left in regulation, LC punched right back as they extended their lead to seven with only 2:46 remaining in the game.

The drama was high in the final minutes as the Panthers attempted to hold off the Lions, who continued to find the basket late to cut the Red and Black's lead to two with a minute left in the game. In the game-deciding possession, LC forced PU into a must-have three-point shot, which somehow rattled in despite the enormous pressure from the LaGrange defense with 36 seconds left in the contest. The shot would prove to be the game-winner, as the Panthers were unable to score from that point forward to drop a heartbreaking 81-80 final.

Panthers of the Game
Devin Dowell led the team in scoring with 19 points as he broke the 200-points mark on the season, joining Samuel Moss and Kameron McCall as the Panthers' only active 200+ point scorers. The hometown product also registered a pair of respective rebounds and steals to his credit as well.

Samuel Moss brought himself within 10 points of the 700-career points mark with 14 on the night.

Up Next
The Panthers take on Covenant College next Satuday (Feb. 22) as they host the Scots for their Senior Day game. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. with links to livestream the game and live stats that can be found here.