LAGRANGE, Ga. – The Berea College women's basketball team saw their 13-game winning streak come to an end after suffering a close 71-69 loss to LaGrange College (Ga.) on Sunday afternoon.

The Mountaineers dropped their first game in USA South Conference play, now holding a 13-1 conference record with a 19-4 overall record. The Panthers improve to 13-8 overall and 8-4 in conference action as they win their second straight game.

Berea had three players finish the contest in double-figures as sophomore guard Aaliyah Hampton scored a game-high 20 points to go with six rebounds. Sophomore forward Destiny Combs totaled 17 points and collected eight rebounds while senior guard Bailee Vanover scored 11 points.

The Mountaineers found themselves in a hole to start as the Panthers took a 14-5 lead halfway through the first quarter of play. Berea slowly chipped back into the contest, outscoring the Panthers 9-4 over the remainder of the quarter to only trail by four points to enter the second stanza. Vanover started the scoring for Berea as she was fouled while finishing a tough layup to give the Mountaineers some momentum.

The momentum followed the Mountaineers into the second frame as they outscored LaGrange 24-12 in the second 10 minutes. Berea took a seven-point advantage with 8:20 remaining in the half as they opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run. The run was capped off with three-pointers by freshman Jayden Merriweather and freshman Drea Satori, along with an and-one finish from Hampton.
The Mountaineers expanded their lead to as large as 13 points, but the Panthers wouldn't back down as they trimmed the deficit to eight points as Berea held a 38-30 advantage going into halftime. The Mountaineers shot efficiently in the second quarter, hitting 56.3 percent (nine-of-16) of their shots.

Berea carried the momentum from their last quarter into the beginning of the third as they hit their first three shots of the second half to push their lead to 14 points. However, that momentum would soon shift in the opposition's favor as the Panthers used a 17-3 run to tie the game with 2:03 left in the third quarter, and this stalemate carried over into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair as neither team could maintain a lead move than four points. The Mountaineers opened the fourth with two quick scores by Vanover and Satori before LaGrange drew even with scores of their own as 7:40 remained in the contest.

LaGrange took the lead for good on a layup with 3:59 left in the game. Berea kept fighting until the end, however, their performance at the free-throw line proved to be their doom as they only converted seven of their 12 attempts. The Mountaineers would see their winning streak snapped at the hands of the Panthers, falling 71-69.

The Berea College women's basketball team looks to return to their winning ways as they host Piedmont University in their regular-season finale on Saturday. The contest will be senior day for the Mountaineers and tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at the Seabury Center.