DECATUR, Ga. -- Jessica Bell led three Covenant women's basketball players in double figure scoring with her 18 points as the Scots won for a seventh straight time after a 62-52 victory at Agnes Scott on Saturday in the regular season finale.
The win stretched the winning streak to seven for Covenant (13-11, 8-6 USA South) and clinches the No. 5 seed from the West in next week's USA South Tournament. Covenant will travel to No. 4 West seed Huntingdon on Wednesday for a first round matchup.
Bell had 18 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the win, while Kaley Hallmark had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Bekah Walter scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half.
Covenant got off to a slow start and trailed 14-13 after the first quarter. But the Scots heated up from the field in the second period, connecting on 53.8 percent with three 3-pointers. The Scots scored the final two points of the first period and then continued the run into the second, capping a 12-2 spurt on a Walter jumper with 7:05 left in the second that gave Covenant a 23-16 lead.
After Agnes Scott briefly regained the lead at 25-23, Covenant went on a 10-0 run to take a 33-25 lead into halftime. Hallmark was the catalyst during the stretch as she scored eight points.
Agnes Scott (3-22, 2-12 USA South) hung around over the final two periods, but Covenant's lead hovered around double digits the rest of the way. The Scots led by as many as 16, 59-43, after a Bell layup with 3:59 left in the fourth.
Emma Grimes added three 3-pointers and nine points with five rebounds for Covenant. Joanna Smith collected seven rebounds and Hannah Monday grabbed five.
As a team, Covenant shot 37.5 percent (24-of-64) with seven 3-pointers. Agnes Scott connected on 33.9 percent (21-of-62) and was just 3-of-18 from 3-point land.
Garis Grant led the host Scotties with 15 points and nine rebounds. Natasha Banks added 12 points and Anna Weimerskirch 11 in the loss.
UP NEXT
Covenant will travel to Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday to face Huntingdon in the first round of the USA South Tournament. Start time is set for 8 p.m. EST.
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