JACKSON, Miss. – The
Millsaps women's basketball team fell to Berea College, 77-66 hard-fought battle inside the Hangar Dome on Saturday afternoon.
Junior Elyse Warren led the Majors with her second consecutive double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Senior Haley Franklin grabbed her first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Franklin also boasted five assists while grabbing one steal on defense. The Baton Rouge, La., native also shot 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 at the free-throw line.
Sophomore Tia Anderson (six rebounds, one steal) and classmate
Garin Freeman (seven assists, one steal) both tallied 12 points against the Mountaineers. Senior
Whitney Novak finished with seven points and three rebounds.
Millsaps bested the Mountaineers in total bench points (24-19) and the Majors carried a points in the paint advantage (30-22) from the Mountaineers.
Berea offered the Majors a tough challenge as the Mountaineers entered receiving votes
Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Preseason Top 25 Poll. They outshot the Majors 40.3 percent (27-of-67) to 34.5 percent (20-of-58), while shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18) to 62.2 percent (23-of-37) from the free-throw line.
Saturday's defeat concluded a 21-game home winning streak for the Majors dating back to Jan. 20, 2023.
Berea College opened the first quarter with an early three pointer. However, Novak would soon knock down a long-range jumper to tie the game off a Franklin assist.
The matchup featured two 2024 NCAA Tournament teams as the Majors claimed the Southern Athletic Association crown and Berea won the Collegiate Conference of the South.
Franklin would later post up in the paint for a step back jumper before the Mountaineers would collect another three pointer to go ahead, 11-7.
A pass by Freeman would send Warren to the rim for an easy bucket to help the Majors tie the matchup at 11-11 moments later.
Both teams would trade off points, before a driving layup from Anderson gave Millsaps its first lead at 15-13.
Anderson wide open down the court made a casual layup to continue the team's advantage to 19-16.
Senior Taylor Frank would give the Majors their first points of the second quarter following a left-handed layup inside the paint.
Moments later Freeman would beat two defenders inside the lane for an unchallenged layup to move the Majors further ahead, 24-18.
Berea would bank a three-pointer and net a jump shot to cut their deficit down by one.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Berea would soon change the atmosphere on the court for the Majors as the squad would begin to trail, 38-33.
Berea then connected on two free throws before the buzzer to enter intermission out front, 44-35.
A hook shot by Berea would expand its lead to 11 points with six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The Majors battled back and cut the deficit down off a 7-0 run, which included and Anderson trey, Adams free throw and Franklin layup.
With 5:11 left on the scoreboard, the Majors were in the bonus for the rest of the third quarter to help fight back.
Franklin easily transitioned down the court for another strong driving layup before Warren would post up in the paint for an additional layup to shorten the Berea advantage to 59-56.
In the final quarter, Anderson would set the tone with a three from the corner to cut the Mountaineers' margin down by two.
As the fourth quarter continued the Mountaineers would move along, 65-60 following a made layup.
Driving to the basket untouched, Franklin would score a nifty layup over a defenders head to narrow Berea's lead to 65-62.
Warren offered the next Millsaps layup and made it a 68-65 deficit with 4:50 to play.
As the fourth quarter continued, Berea sank a massive three-pointer and kept the Majors from scoring another basket after.
The teams added free throws to allow the Mountainers to escape with a 77-66 win, Saturday afternoon.
The Majors will be back in action and face MUW in Columbus., Miss., beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps women's basketball program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
