BEREA, Ky. – The Berea College women's basketball team battled past a 16-for-64 shooting performance to defeat Covenant (Ga.) 49-46 on Tuesday evening in the Seabury Center.

The Mountaineer's win streak survives, now reaching 12 games. Berea improves to 18-3 on the season while holding a 12-0 record in USA South Conference play. The Scots fall to 7-9 overall and 4-6 in conference action.

Freshman guard Dailyn Spalding was a force on defense, collecting a career-high eight steals along with six points and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Destiny Combs was just shy of a double-double with a game-high 13 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Hampton recorded 11 points and secured a pair of rebounds. As a team, the Mountaineers forced 25 turnovers.

Berea struggled out of the gates, shooting just 14.3 percent in the opening quarter. Covenant capitalized on the Mountaineers' shooting woes as they took a 10-4 lead with 4:10 left in the opening frame. While Berea struggled from the field, free throws kept them close to the opposition as they converted three of their four attempts at the charity stripe to trail 12-7 exiting the first quarter.

The Mountaineer's defense took a step in the second 10 minutes as they forced 12 second-quarter turnovers. After beginning the quarter by knocking down a pair of free throws, Spalding nabbed her first steal of the quarter leading to a layup by freshman guard Drea Satori to cut the deficit to one point. Berea took the lead on a deep mid-range jump shot from senior forward Destanie Love, but Covenant quickly regained the lead and turned it into a 17-13 contest with 6:26 left in the half.

With 3:40 on the clock, Berea recovered the lead following Spalding's fifth steal of the quarter as she kicked the ball up to Satori for the fastbreak layup. The Mountaineers managed their lead for the remainder of the quarter as they took a 25-21 advantage into the break.

The shooting woes crept back for the Mountaineers to open the second half as they shot two-for-18 in the third quarter. While the offense suffered in the quarter, Berea remained active on defense only allowing three made baskets for the Scots. The third stanza came down to a free throw contest as Covenant hit seven free throws to Berea's three as the Scots took a 34-32 lead into the last quarter of play.

Much like most of the contest, Spalding's defense sparked the Mountaineers as her eighth steal of the night led to a Hampton layup to put Berea ahead 37-36 with 7:53 remaining. A Scot's layup put the opposition back in front before Satori connected with Hampton for a three-pointer to give the Mountaineers a two-point lead.

A pull-up jump shot by senior guard Bailee Vanover gave Berea a four-point cushion however, a jump shot and a pair of free throws allowed Covenant to tie the match with 3:30 remaining. The Scots took a two-point lead with 2:12 left on the clock but the lead was short-lived as Combs converted back-to-back layups to give Berea a 48-46 advantage with 70 seconds left.

With one second left on the clock, Spalding split a visit at the free-throw line to give Berea a 49-46 lead. The Scot's had a chance to send the game into overtime but their shot from behind the three-point line fell short as Berea's winning streak remained with a 49-46 win over Covenant.

The Berea College women's basketball team looks to continue their winning streak as they face Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Saturday, Feb. 5. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala.