LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The Berea College women's basketball team uses a high-scoring second-half performance to defeat Covenant College (Ga.) 61-33 on Wednesday evening.
The Mountaineers win their fifth straight game, improving to 11-3 overall and a perfect 6-0 in USA South Conference play. The Scots fall to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in conference action.
Sophomore Aaliyah Hampton led Berea in scoring, finishing with 17 points while shooting seven-for-13 from the field. Fellow sophomore Destiny Combs chipped in 15 points and four rebounds. Freshmen Jayden Merriweather recorded a career-high 13 points along with five steals and four rebounds. Senior Destanie Love led the game in rebounding with a career-high 10 boards.
Shooting woes plagued both teams to start the game as they combined to shoot seven-for-25 in the opening quarter. The Mountaineers took the early lead as Combs secured an offensive rebound and put it into the basket to score the first points of the evening. After a three-point score by the Scots, Combs swung the ball to Love for a mid-range jump shot to go ahead 4-3 with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter. Covenant ended the quarter outscoring Berea 7-2 to take a four-point lead going into the second quarter.
The Mountaineer's defense stood tall in the second quarter, forcing the Scots to shoot 14.3 percent from the field and zero-for-seven from beyond the arc. Berea took the lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the half. Hampton was the spark for the Mountaineers, outscoring Covenant 9-2 to end the quarter. After a personal run that started with a tough and-one finish at the rim, Hampton finished consecutive shots in the paint giving Berea a 20-14 lead going into halftime.
Covenant trimmed into the lead to start the third quarter, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to trail 22-17 with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter. The Mountaineers responded with a 9-3 run to push the lead to double-digits and didn't look back, outscoring Covenant 44-19 over the final 20 minutes to take a 61-33 victory.
The Berea College women's basketball team returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 15 battling Brevard College (N.C.). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Brevard, N.C.