Couglan Leads Lady Vikings With 19 Points; Walsh Just Misses Double-Double

Piedmont's women's basketball team used a 26-7 run over an eight-and-a-half minute stretch late in the second half to blow open a close game and defeat Berry 71-58 Saturday at the NCAA Division III Classic, hosted by Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

The teams were tied 30-30 at halftime, and after Piedmont went ahead by five points early in the second half, the Lady Vikings fought back to take a 38-37 lead when Brittany Coughlan hit a 3-pointer with just under 15 minutes on the clock.

But Piedmont would answer with a 6-0 run to go ahead 43-38.  Again, Berry would claw back, as Coughlan again canned a 3-pointer to pull the Lady Vikes to within a point, 45-44, with 11:46 remaining.

That was when the Lions embarked on the game-changing run that turned a one-point lead into a 71-51 advantage with under three minutes on the clock.  Berry would score the game's final seven points, but the damage had already been done.

Coughlan led Berry with 19 points, partially on the strength of 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range.  She also grabbed five rebounds.  Her Lady Vikings teammate Megan Walsh missed a double-double by a single point, tallying nine points and 11 rebounds. 

Piedmont's Sada Wheeler recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds, both game high totals.  She was joined in double figures in the scoring column by Alyssa Jones, who scored 13 points, and Keiondra Thompson, who chipped in 11.

Berry is scheduled to return to action Wednesday at 6 p.m., when the Lady Vikings host Oglethorpe at the Cage Center.

- BerryVikings.com -