Hillary Cook’s Late Shot Propels Greensboro College Past #18 Piedmont

(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — Hillary Cook hit a jumper with 12.3 seconds remaining and Danielle Duncan iced the game seven seconds later as The Pride upset #18 Piedmont, 59-57. The victory ends a two game skid for Greensboro and exacted revenege on the Lions, who dealt them their first loss of the season on December 10th.
Duncan scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, including 20 points in the first half, which accounted for over half of The Pride’s points. The game was close throughout, with Piedmont holding the biggest lead of the first half at the 8:38 mark, when Keiondria Thompson’s three made it 20-11. Greensboro countered with a 17-2 run that chewed up five minutes and gave them a 28-23 lead. The Pride took a 32-27 lead into the half.

The Pride tried to open up a bigger lead early in the second half and two free throws by Jena Cabe opened a seven point gap, but Piedmont wouldn’t go away. The second half included several runs by both teams, as the Lions closed to deficit to one before Greensboro jumped back out to a seven point lead. A three-point shot by Amber Satterfield gave Piedmont their first lead of the second half, 48-46, with under eight minutes remaining.

There were five lead changes and two ties in the last eight minutes of the game, but it was Cook’s short jumper, over 6-3 senior Sada Wheeler that was the decisive moment of the game. Following a missed three-pointer on the other end of the floor, Duncan was fouled hard by Wheeler, and made one of two free throws to ice the game.

Duncan’s 31 is a season high and Bianca Richburg was the only other Greensboro player in double digits with 12. Richburg also had nine rebounds. Thompson led the Lions with 17 points, including four of six shots from behind the arc. The Pride’s defense was unable to shut down Division I transfer Sada Wheeler, who scored just eight points.

The Pride will conclude their home stretch on Wednesday, as they host Averett at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday’s game is the first in a double-header with the men’s team, who also plays Averett, at 7:30 p.m.