Turnovers and defensive breakdowns plagued Blue Lights Saturday afternoon, and Piedmont International took advantage, handing the Thoroughbreds their fourth consecutive loss, 89-80 in Winston-Salem.
BLC (4-8) jumped out of the gate behind hot shooting, racing to an early 13-8 lead. But the Bruins turned up the defensive pressure, turning steals into fast break points and retaking the lead at 16-15, a lead they would never relinquish. The Lights cut it to four by halftime, but Piedmont (3-9) went on a tear midway through the second half to extend its advantage to as many as 21, 69-48.
The Herd regrouped and fought their way back into the game on a 15-2 run, cutting the lead to 73-65. But turnovers continued to plague the Thoroughbreds, and 85-78 was as close as they would get before losing by the final score.
JB Ezzell-Upchurch led BLC with 17 points and Vic Ngong added 14. Piedmont's CJ Colemen led all scorers with 23.
The two teams will meet again on February 4 in Apex.
The Herd's next game is Tuesday at 6:00 pm against Carolina Christian College at Hope Community Church gym.