BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Completing the Dardeen Memorial Classic undefeated, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team used a dominant fourth quarter earning an 81-64 win over Piedmont College. With their three wins, ETBU is now 6-0 for the third time in the last four seasons.

Bridget Upton led ETBU scoring 15 points while Mallory Stephens had 13 points and Mollie Dittmar added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. PC's Hope Franklin was the game's leading scorer with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lions would outshoot ETBU 42.9% to 39.7%, but fell 6-2 in the three-point category. Both teams scored 13 points off turnovers although ETBU would control the paint with 34 points to PC's 30. Ultimately, ETBU's depth played a big role as the bench came through for 44 points while holding the Lions to 11.

After an early exchange of points in the first quarter, both Stephens (3:59-3:20) and Emma Stelzer (6:03,-5:39) tallied five points to give ETBU a 14-7 lead. Four straight Lions points brought PC to within 14-11 before Stelzer (1:07) made it a five point lead, 16-11. ETBU's three free throws in the final minute put the score at 19-13 to end the first quarter.

Hanna Hudson gave ETBU a seven-point lead, 21-14, early in the second quarter, which would be followed by four straight points by the Lions (8:16-7:48) to cut the deficit to three, 21-18. Both teams would keep within the five-point margin until a three by Upton (1:54) brought the tally to 33-25, but PC scored six of the final eight points bringing the halftime score to 35-31.

The four point lead stayed in tact as both teams would score 18 points in the third quarter. Five points from Stephens (9:38, 7:23) and a three from Hudson (8:23) pushed ETBU's lead up to seven (42-35; 7:23). The Tigers would keep control for much of the quarter building a 10-point lead, 51-41 (2:29), as Stephens recorded her seventh point of the quarter (2:29) while Brooke Webster (6:12, 4:19) chipped in five points. The last two minutes would see a resurgence by PC, who entered the fourth quarter trailing 53-49.

Upton would kick start the 28-point fourth quarter for ETBU with back-to-back threes (8:55, 8:32) while Kaia Williams' three (6:48) gave the Tigers a double-digit lead (63-52). Free throws by PC (6:30) would bring the lead down to single digits for the final time, 63-54. Williams and Dittmar combined for 10 of ETBU's final 18 points in the final six minutes as the Tigers would record their third 80-point game of the Classic and a 17-point win, 81-64.

ETBU will be back on the road next week to West Texas facing Howard Payne University (Brownwood, Texas) and Hardin-Simmons University (Abilene, Texas) on Thursday and Saturday.