St. Louis, MO – Sophomore Aaliyah Hampton (Hopkinsville, KY) scored 30 points to lead the Berea College women's basketball team past the University of Wisconsin – Superior 73-68 Sunday afternoon in the McWilliams Classic hosted by Washington University in Saint Louis.
 
Hampton's effort allowed the Mountaineers to overcome a five-point deficit in the first quarter.  Berea shot 42% from the floor and got three-pointers from Hampton and freshman Jayden Merriweather (Greeneville, TN) in the second quarter to build a 38-34 halftime advantage.  The Mountaineers held that lead until the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter when the Yellow Jackets tied the game at 58-58.  But Merriweather answered with another three-pointer to jump-start a 9-0 run and seal the win for Berea.
 
The Mountaineer defensive pressure forced 20 turnovers with Merriweather notching four steals.  Sophomore Destanie Love (Bardstown, KY) had eight rebounds and senior Bailee Vanover (Richmond, KY) grabbed seven boards as Berea held a 35-30 rebounding edge.  Nearly half of the Berea rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor, allowing the Mountaineers 23 second-chance points.
 
All 10 Berea players that took the floor Sunday afternoon scored in the contest, with Hampton's 30-point effort leading the way.  Sophomore Destiny Combs (Louisville, KY) added 11 points for Berea, who split a pair of games in the McWilliams Classic this weekend.  The Mountaineers (7-3, 3-0 USAS) will take a brief break to open this week for final exams before traveling to Demorest, GA, Saturday to face conference rival Piedmont University.  Tip-off for that contest is set for 2:00 PM.