BEREA, Ky. – The Berea College women's basketball team ushered in the new year by recording a season-high 32 turnovers en route to a 63-40 victory over Agnes Scott (Ga.) on Saturday afternoon at the Seabury Center.
Berea improves to a 10-3 overall record and 5-0 in USA South Conference action, while the Scotties fall to 0-13 and 0-5 in conference play.
Senior Bailee Vanover and sophomore Aaliyah Hampton led the Mountaineers in scoring, recording 16 points apiece. Sophomore Destiny Combs had a huge performance on the backboard, grabbing 16 rebounds to go along with seven points.
Baskets were hard to come by for both teams to start to the afternoon, as both sides shot a combined zero-for-11 in the game's opening minutes. Hampton got the scoring rolling for the Mountaineers, knocking down a three-pointer and a fast-break layup to put Berea in front 6-2 with 5:26 left in the first quarter. The Mountaineers kept the pressure on Agnes Scott, outscoring the Scotties 13-2 to take a 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was even scoring-wise, as both teams recorded 14 points each. The Mountaineers pushed the lead to 17 with 8:22 remaining in the half as a layup by Combs and a pair of free throws from Kauri McKeithen expanded the lead. Turnovers plagued the Scotties as Berea scored 13 first-half points off 17 turnovers as the Mountaineers held a 33-18 lead going into halftime.
Coming out of the break Berea hit its stride, shooting nine-for-22 in the third quarter outscoring the Scotties 22-10. Vanover sparked the Mountaineer's scoring output, recording seven straight points to give Berea a 55-28 lead heading to the last quarter of play. The Scotties continued to fight as they outscored Berea 12-8 in the final quarter, however, the deficit proved to be too large as the Mountaineers coasted to a 63-40 win.
The Berea College women's basketball team continue their season on Jan. 12, taking on Covenant College (Ga.) in Lookout Mountain, Ga. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.