SE Bluegrass News

Women’s Basketball Overcome Rebounding Deficit Against Belhaven

The Berea College women's basketball team rounded out their regular season with a 59-54 win over Belhaven University on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Mountaineers finish the regular season with an impressive 23-2 overall record and 15-1 in CCS play.

Junior Aaliyah Hampton led the way for the Mountaineers with a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds. Freshman LynKaylah James corralled nine rebounds to go with 13 points. Sophomore Dailyn Spalding converted five of her nine attempts to finish with 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

The Blazers were a force on the backboard, outrebounding Berea 44-32. Despite the rebounding difference, the Mountaineers led for most of the contest, holding the lead for 35:19 of total time. Berea was efficient from the charity stripe, converting 13 of their 16 attempts.

The Mountaineers started the game firing on all cylinders, outscoring Belhaven 20-9 in the first quarter. Berea forced the Blazers to a poor 23.5% shooting from the floor in the first 10 minutes. Four of the five starters for Berea found themselves in the scoring column as the Mountaineers took an 11-point advantage going into the second quarter.

The second quarter was a different story as it was Berea's turn to struggle shooting, converting just five of their 17 shots. The Blazers took advantage of the situation as they shot 46.2% to cut into the deficit and trailed 30-24 to go into halftime.

Berea's first-quarter performance ended up being the difference maker in the contest, as the second half was even. In the third quarter, the scoring was tied (13-13) and Belhaven slightly outscored Berea in the fourth (17-16). Though the Blazers stayed within reach, the Mountaineers came away with the road win to end their regular season.

The Mountaineers turn their attention towards the postseason as they get ready for the CCS conference tournament. Being the number one overall seed, Berea holds a first-round bye and will play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Mountaineers will play the winner of Agnes Scott College and Wesleyan College in the first-round matchup. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Seabury Center.

Original source can be found here.