By Matthew D. Stokes, BerryVikings.com Lead Writer

ROME, Ga. – After opening the game with the advantage, Berry women's basketball team lost to Southern Athletic Association opponent Millsaps, 65-53, on Friday. Five Millsaps players had double-digit points. Berry's Megan Walsh paced all scorers with 19 points.

Berry dropped to 11-13 overall and 5-8 in SAA games. Millsaps improved to 15-8 and 11-2.

BC held a three-point lead at halftime, 27-24, after shooting 32.1 percent from the field. Mel McLean led all players with 13 first-half points, nailing three three-pointers.

Millsaps unloaded several shots from distance in the second half, converting on four out of 11 attempts after hitting only one of five in the first half, taking a 10-point lead with under 13 minutes to go. Alexa Evans hit back-to-back threes to narrow the Majors' lead to four points, 46-42, with 10:58 left, prompting Millsaps to call a timeout.  This would be the closest Berry would come in the second period. The visitors returned to an 11-point advantage with under three minutes left.  

"We didn't do what we needed to do in the first three minutes of the second half," said Berry Head Coach Stephanie Dunn.  "We went from up three to down ten in a game where we should've came out with fire. We recuperated and tried to come back, but that's a good team.  You have to take care of everything against a good team."

In addition to Walsh's 19 points and eight rebounds, McLean finished with 16 for Berry while Evans had 11. Sophomore Chanlir Segarra, Berry's leading scorer, was held without a point for the first time in her career.

Miah Brooks and Makayla Roberson each poured in 13 points for Millsaps. Velvet Johnson (11) and Brittnei Earl (10) and Samantha Perez (10) also totaled double digits for the Majors.

Berry will close out its regular season and home schedule on Sunday against Birmingham-Southern. Tipoff will be 1 p.m. 

"We got to focus in on us and do the things that we need to do in order to get a win," Dunn said.  "That's basically what it comes down to."