BEREA, Ky. – In a tight contest, the Berea College women's basketball team claimed the 2022-23 CCS conference championship, defeating the Piedmont University Lions 71-63 on Sunday afternoon in the Seabury Center.

The Mountaineers now sit at 26-2 overall and are unbeaten at home, holding a 12-0 mark.

Junior Aaliyah Hampton had a big-time performance for the Mountaineers, scoring a game-high 24 points while shooting nine-for-16 overall and corralling five rebounds. For her efforts, Hampton was named to the All-Championship team and the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Freshman LynKaylah James was also named to the All-Championship team. Sophomore Drea Satori knocked down seven free throws on her way to 14 points, and senior Destiny Combs was just shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Berea jumped out to a five-point lead as a three-pointer by Satori and a James layup started the afternoon. The Lions responded by scoring the next two buckets, as the contests swung back and forth throughout the first quarter and Berea held a 9-8 lead with 4:54 left in the first. A three-pointer by Piedmont's Ashley Scott gave the Lions to lead for a moment, but the Mountaineers ended the quarter on a 9-1 scoring run to take an 18-12 advantage into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Berea struggled to convert their shots, only hitting seven of their 20 attempts. The Lions outscored Berea 9-2 to take a 21-20 lead around two and a half minutes in the quarter. Despite the Mountaineers' poor shooting and Piedmont's efficient five-for-five shooting from the free throw line in the quarter, Berea still held a 34-33 lead going into halftime.

Exiting halftime, Hampton sparked the Mountaineers' offense, scoring six of Berea's first eight points in the third quarter. Off a Piedmont miss, Hampton corralled the rebound and went coast-to-coast to finish a layup to begin the second half. Around two minutes later, Hampton again found an open lane to the hoop to give Berea a 38-33 lead with 7:40 left in the quarter.

The Lions kept fighting, however, tying the game 40-40 on a layup by all-championship team selection, Destiny Deetz with 3:49 on the clock. Despite Hampton's 10-point third-quarter performance, Berea held a small two-point lead going into the final quarter of play.

Piedmont took the lead early in the fourth quarter as they opened with four unanswered points. The Mountaineers jumped back out in front when James corralled an offensive rebound off a Berea miss and kicked the ball out to an open Hampton for a three-pointer and Berea led 49-48. Just as it seemed like momentum was swinging in Berea's favor, Piedmont hit timely shots and even held a five-point lead with 3:43 left in the game.

Berea began to chip into the deficit as after splitting a visit to the free throw line, sophomore Dailyn Spalding finished a layup as Berea trailed 58-56. Following a steal by Spalding, Satori earned a trip to the charity stripe where she went one-for-two, and the Lions held a one-point lead. Hampton put the Mountaineers in front with a layup with 2:53 left, but Piedmont quickly responded with a jumper to trim the lead to one point.

Piedmont's Colby Reed attempted to put her team ahead with a three-pointer, but it was off the mark. Berea capitalized off the miss, leading to a transition corner three by sophomore Jayden Merriweather to push Berea's lead 65-60. The momentum finally stayed in Berea's favor as the Mountaineers came away with a 71-63 win to secure the first-ever CCS women's basketball conference championship.

The Mountaineers now look to hear their name called in the NCAA Selection Show. The selection show will take place tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. To follow along, the selection show can be watched at by clicking here.