Sophomore Ashley Oldshue and senior Michelle Bevan combined for 32 points but it wasn't enough as the Emory women's basketball team saw a dramatic second-half rally come up excruciatingly short in a Friday evening loss at Piedmont College.  The Eagles saw their record dip to 8-2 after coming up short, 70-67, to the Lions who improved to 8-4.  

Oldshue totaled a game-high 19 points, her ninth double-figure effort of the season, sinking eight-of-10 field goal attempts and three from the charity stripe, while Bevan notched a season-best 13 points, converting five field goals in six attempts and a pair of makes from the foul line. The duo accounted for the team's final 13 points over the final 5:48 of fourth quarter with Oldshue netting eight and Bevan five.  Senior Fran Sweeney rounded out the squad's double-figure scorers with 12 points,

Entering the third quarter facing a five-point gap, Emory saw the Lions scored six of the stanza's first eight points to fall behind by a 41-32 margin.  After a three-pointer by Sweeney, her first of three in the frame, cut the deficit to six, PC rattled off six unanswered points to take the first of a pair of 12-point leads, 47-35, with 5:54 on the clock.   Two additional treys by Sweeney fueled a 9-2 Emory outburst that drew it to within five points with 2:08 left in the frame.  After a Piedmont three pointer, a free throw by Bevan followed by a jumper by Oldshue closed out the quarter with Emory in same position that it started, down five points at 53-48.

Back-to-back baskets by the Lions pushed them to a 60-54 margin with 6:44 left in the fourth stanza, but the Eagles fought back with a 9-2 run, capped by a bucket by Oldshue, to take a 63-62 lead with 2:08 remaining.  A three-point play by PC's Carly Sales put the hosts ahead by a pair, but a layup by Oldshue knotted the score with 1:31 left.  After a pair of misses at the foul line by Piedmont, Emory re-took the lead when Bevan knocked down a jumper with 44 ticks on the clock.  On their ensuing possession, the Lions' Bridgette Kelly nailed her fourth three pointer of the night giving them a 68-67 edge with 33 seconds remaining.  Emory was whistled for an offensive foul on its next possession sending Dakota Sullens to the line where she sank a pair with five second left.  A three-point attempt by Emory in the waning seconds missed its mark.

Emory shot 48.1 percent from the field (26 of 54) compared to Piedmont's 42.4 percent (25 of 59).  The Eagles were successful on 37.5 percent (6 of 16) of its long-range attempts and enjoyed a 37-31 advantage in rebounding, with Oldshue and Bevan tying for game honors with nine boards each.  The Lions converted 11-of-18 free throw attempts while Emory hit nine-of-19, with the team's 47.4 percent mark a season low.  Emory turned the ball over on 18 occasions to Piedmont's 14, with the Eagles' miscues leading to 23 Lion points.

Emory trailed by a 15-9 margin in the first quarter before going on a 9-0 spurt to take an 18-15 edge with 2:30 left in the stanza.  The Lions closed out the remainder of the frame holding Emory scoreless while scoring five unanswered to points to claim a 20-18 advantage.  Jatasia Bailey's triple put the hosts up by a 25-21 count early in the second quarter, however the Eagles countered with a 7-2 run, capped by a three pointer by Sweeney to post a 28-27 lead with 6:08 on the clock.  A bucket by sophomore Azzairia Jackson-Sherrod kept Emory ahead by a 30-29 margin with 4:07 on the clock, but that would be the Eagles' final points of the half, as Piedmont used treys by Carly Sayles and Bailey to take a 35-30 lead into halftime. 

Emory returns to action on Monday (Jan. 2) when it opens the 2017 portion of its schedule with a road date at Rhodes College.