BREVARD, N.C. - Deja Riddick recorded her third double-double of the 2019-20 season (15 points, 10 rebounds), however, the Brevard College women's basketball team (5-10, 3-6 USAS) fell 64-53 to the visiting Berea College Mountaineers (15-2, 8-0 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Mountaineers remained a perfect 8-0 in USA South Conference play and earned the season sweep over the Tornados. Berea currently leads the USA South West Division.
Riddick, a native of Norfolk, Virginia, made 5-of-8 field goals including a 2-of-3 clip from 3-point range. The junior forward also hauled down three of Brevard's 11 offensive boards in Saturday's contest.
Junior guard Shakirah Thompson joined Riddick in double figures, scoring 13 points that included a team-best three made shots from long distance. Thompson has now made a team-best 40 3-pointers in 2019-20 and has reached double-digit scoring in four straight and eight games overall.
Seeing her first action of the 2019-20 campaign, junior guard Ty'She Washington played in 20 minutes for the Tornados off the bench. Washington tallied nine points on three field goals and a perfect 3-of-3 effort from the free-throw line while grabbing four rebounds.
Berea was led by freshman Aaliyah Hampton who scored 20 points on five field goals and a game-best 10-of-12 mark from the charity stripe.
The Mountaineers used a stout defense to propel themselves to an early 15-5 advantage following the first quarter of action, holding the Tornados to just 2-of-12 shooting from the field. Berea's 15-2 scoring run was halted when Washington scored her first points of the season with an and-one layup and a made free throw with just over a minute left in the first period of play.
Following a Victoria Green 3-pointer to kick off the second quarter, the Mountaineers scored the game's next 10 points to extend their lead to a game-high 17-point margin at 25-8. Brevard was able to trim Berea's lead to 12 points, 31-19, as the contest went into the intermission.
The Tornados were able to outscore the Mountaineers 19-18 in the third quarter of action. An Elaina Perez layup with 29 seconds left in the third stanza made Brevard's deficit single digits, 46-38, for the first time since early in the second quarter. Berea responded with a 3-pointer to close out the third period, holding an 11-point, 49-38 lead.
Both sides would each score 15 points in the final quarter as Berea pulled away with the 64-53 victory. The Tornados were able to cut their deficit to single digits multiple times over the final period of play, trimming Berea's lead to just five points, 58-53, at the 3:06 mark following a Thompson 3-pointer that banked in. However, Berea scored the game's final six points to ice the victory.
Berea's advantage on the glass helped the division-leaders claim their 15th victory of the season. The Mountaineers commanded the boards, outrebounding Brevard 49-28 in the contest. Berea utilized its 16 offensive boards, scoring 17 second-chance points. The Tornados doubled Berea's assist total, 10-5, while the Mountaineers made a habit of getting to the free-throw line. Berea attempted 34 total free throws, making 25 of them compared to Brevard's 8-of-13 mark from the charity stripe.
The Tornados will return to action on Wednesday, January 22 when Brevard travels to Demorest, Georgia to face the Piedmont College Lions in a 6 p.m. tip-off.
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