Box Score Maryville College's 2019-20 season ended on Saturday afternoon in the USA South Athletic Conference Semifinals, as host Berea College defeated the Scots, 64-60.
Maryville's second-half rally came up just short against the top-ranked Mountaineers, as the game saw back-and-forth play.
In all, the contest had eight ties and 14 lead changes, as MC trailed by as many as eight with 3:38 left in the third quarter, 39-31. MC cut into that lead, trailing just 44-40 going to the final 10 minutes.
The Orange and Garnet chipped away in the fourth quarter, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Klaire Varney and Libby Gardner gave the Scots the lead, 57-56, with just 2:17 left.
Aaliyah Hampton bucketed a jump shot to start a 6-0 run for the Mountaineers, before an Elsa Eckenrod trey with 24 seconds left cut the lead to two, 62-60.
Berea took advantage of free throws in the final seconds to take a 64-60 victory.
"I'm really proud of the way we competed today," Head Coach Darrin Travillian said. "We accomplished several of our pre-game statistical goals, but the boards and the free-throw line just proved to be too much for us to overcome. It was definitely a fun game to compete in, and we should be proud of our tournament run."
The Scots end the 2019-20 campaign with Travillian's eighth 20-win season and a 20-8 record. It marks the first 20-win season since 2016-17 when the coach tied the MC record for the most consecutive 20-win campaigns with his seventh.
Maryville's tournament run included a 73-56 win over Covenant College in the opening round, before knocking of the East Division's second-seeded N.C. Wesleyan College, 75-66.
"This season was a successful one in so many ways," Travillian said. "We competed with and beat excellent teams, we learned from some tough defeats, and we saw a collective heartbeat form among this group. I though our tournament run was very impressive, and our effort is one to be remembered."
On Saturday, senior Kelley Wandell led the Scots offensively with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She had six offensive boards, while tallying two blocks on the day.
Gardner, also a senior, had five points, two assists, two steals, a rebounds and a 3-pointer on the day.
"I'm very thankful for our seniors and everything they gave us this season and throughout their four years," Travillian said. "Kelley and Libby are the kinds of graduates who make you proud as a coach. The integrity, dedication and work ethic are on display every single day."
Maryville College (20-8) saw Varney follow Wandell's performance with a dozen points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block, while Eckenrod had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Freshman Courtney Carruthers added 10 points off the bench with two rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Shelby Hix added eight points, three boards and two assists.
Abbi Joseph had four rebounds, two assists and two points for the Scots.
On the day, Maryville shot 21-of-62 (33.9 percent) from the floor, while adding seven 3-pointers at a 35-percent clip. The Scots went 11-of-17 at the free-throw line.
Berea College (24-3) outrebounded Maryville, 45-34, as the Mountaineers shot just 15-of-50 (30 percent). They shot 23.8 percent from beyond the arc with five treys, as they went 29-of-37 (78.4 percent) from the charity stripe.
Reigning USA South Rookie and Player of the Year Aaliyah Hampton led the way with 19 points, three rebounds, three steals and an assist, while Bailee Vanover posted 11 of her 17 points at the free0throw line. Kristin Barnes had 11 points, while Destanie Love pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds off the bench.
