ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chanlir Segarra had a game-best 20 points and led a second half comeback as Berry College defeated Messiah College, 59-53, on Saturday.

The Vikings will head into 2015 with an 8-3 record. Messiah dropped to 5-6.

BC trailed 30-24 at halftime. The Vikings then outscored the Falcons 35-23 in the final 20 minutes to secure the win.

"This was a good win for our team," said Berry Head Coach Stephanie Dunn. "Messiah is a talented, nationally-recognized program with great history. Our team fought hard throughout the game and we never felt like we were out of it. We had a number of freshmen who contributed big off of the bench today. I'm extremely proud of the way we made the plays we needed to make in order to win."

Messiah led 47-37 with 10:39 left in regulation. The Vikings, however, went on a 11-0 run and--after a made basket by Segarra--reclaimed the lead at 48-47 with 5:51 on the clock. BC  never trailed again.

Segarra was 8-18 shooting. Freshman Zarriah Pierce netted 23 points for the Vikings and Mel McLean added 10. 

BC won the battle of the boards, 53-44. Megan Casey, a freshman, had a game-high 14 rebounds. Emma Cook snatched eight rebounds and contributed eight points for Berry.

Sienna Wisse led the Falcons with 19 points.

The Vikings host Agnes Scott College on Jan. 6 at the Cage Center