FERRUM, Va. -- Haley Soles scored a career-high 23 points and buried six 3-pointers, but the Covenant women's basketball team fell 81-62 to Ferrum on Friday night in USA South action at Swartz Gymnasium.

Covenant (0-9, 0-1 USA South) remains winless on the season but had its highest point output and best shooting night of the season in the defeat. Ferrum improves to 3-4 overall and 1-0 in league play.

Soles finished the game 8-of-10 from the field and 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point line for her 23 points. The junior also registered five rebounds and four assists. Aleigha Williams scored 14 points off the bench, while Abbey Bailey totaled six points and a game-high nine rebounds with five assists.

Covenant shot 41 percent (25-of-61) from the field with a season-high nine 3-pointers.

Ferrum, the defending USA South champions, rolled out to a 16-2 lead just four-and-a-half minutes into the contest. But the visiting Scots settled down and cut the deficit to 24-15 after a Morgan Woodward layup with 9:01 remaining in the first half.

Ferrum built the lead to 20 with under two minutes to go in the period, but Covenant scored the final seven points of the half with jumpers from Williams and Jessica Bell and a 3-pointer from Alex Quimby just before the horn to make it 39-26 at the break.

In the second half, the host Panthers kept their distance from the Scots as Covenant would not be able to get its deficit to single digits.

Jacole Hairston led all Ferrum scorers with 21 points. Zarkia Mattox added 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists for Ferrum who also received 12 points and three assists from Krista Cox. Ferrum shot 48.4 percent (30-of-62) from the floor including 14 3-pointers.

Covenant will be back in action on Saturday against Averett in Danville, Virginia. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.