Box Score A Zacchea Small driving lay-up with less than a second remaining lifted Berea College over host Maryville College 75-74 in the Scots' Boydson Baird Gymnasium late Tuesday evening.
Small and Bri Lanham combined for 14 of the Mountaineer's first 20 points in the initial quarter. Berea shot 53% opening the game with a 20-11 first quarter advantage.
The Scots answered in the second quarter with nine points from Haley Talbott on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc while winning the battle on the boards 12-8. MC's defense limited Berea to only a 35% effort from the floor.
At the intermission, Berea captured a 37-33 advantage with Adriana Williams (9 points) and Bri Lanham (8 points) pacing a 14-for-32 effort from the floor collectively for the visitors. Maryville battled back with a 37% shooting effort while hitting 4-of-10 from long distance. Talbott and Rachel Hawn led the Scots with a combined 17 points and eight rebounds.
In the third quarter, Berea's Jaime Roberts dropped a pair of treys for eight points while MC kept pace with Hawn's 3-for-4 effort in the paint and Maples' 2-for-4 effort on the perimeter. After three complete periods, Maryville rallied to within only one possession 54-51.
Maryville's Madison Maples took over the final period with a dozen points on 4-of-5 shooting that included a pair of three-pointers. Hawn closed strong with a 3-for-4 effort from the floor. Berea countered with Adriana Williams' 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
With 2:49 remaining, an Amber Hudgens free throw gave MC a 70-64 lead. Berea countered with a Williams' offensive rebound and bucket. Zacchea Small and Bri Lanham each deposited a pair of key free throws to make the score 72-71 with a minute remaining while MC did not take advantage of free throw opportunities. Haley Talbott and Madison Maples each dropped a free throw to give the Scots a 74-71 lead with 19-seconds left. Berea's Jaime Roberts sank a pair of key free throws with nine seconds remaining before an errant pass gave Berea the ball for Small's game-winner.
Berea (10-2, 4-1 USA South) was led by Adriana Williams' 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Williams also finished with five assists and five steals. Jaime Roberts added 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting while Bri Lanham tossed in 14 points. Zacchea Small contributed 10 points while Nakeisha Greene led both squads on the boards with a game-high 10 rebounds.
Maryville (9-7, 5-1 USA South) was paced by Madison Maples' 22 points. The senior deposited 8-of-14 shots including three treys. Rachel Hawn was strong in the paint with 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Haley Talbott added 10 points while Libby Gardner recorded seven assists and three steals.
The loss snaps Maryville's eight-game winning streak. The Scots will look to bounce back on the road this weekend with key USA South road challenges at LaGrange and Huntingdon on Friday and Saturday.
