Dominating second half leads Buffs in first of 2021

LAURINBURG, N.C. (Jan. 5, 2021) – Defense and a dominating third quarter were the keys to the Milligan University women's basketball team's 65-49 win over St. Andrews Tuesday afternoon in an Appalachian Athletic Conference road game. Lily Griffith led the Buffs with 17 points while freshman Jaycie Jenkins tallied her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The win marked Milligan's 16th in the last 17 meetings against St. Andrews.

"In the first half, we looked like we hadn't played in three weeks," first-year head coach Kylie Russell said. "We came out slow and open shots weren't falling. Thankfully, our second group made a great push in the third quarter to create separation, and Hannah's threes were clutch to seal the game. Overall, a win is a great way to start 2021!"

Buffs dominate third quarter, closing minutes

Both teams, not having played since Dec. 12, started slow before Milligan (4-8, 4-3 AAC) went out to a double-digit lead with a strong third quarter. Milligan led 34-32 midway through the period when an and-one from Griffith started a 15-0 run for the Buffs. Cali Weddle scored seven points during the stretch, Griffith five, as Milligan took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter.

St. Andrews was only able to cut the lead to seven the rest of the way.

The Knights, in fact, brought Milligan's lead down to seven with two and a half minutes left and had possession looking to draw closer. Jenkins came up with a big stop under the basket, then Hannah Wyrick hit a 3-pointer at the other end to put Milligan's lead back up to double digits. It would be the first of three 3-pointers Wyrick would make in the final three minutes as Milligan closed the game on an 11-2 run.

In the box score

Griffith and Jenkins were the first of nine Buffs in the scoring column. Wyrick scored nine, all in the final three minutes, and Halie Padgett and Cali Weddle both scored seven. Malarie Tallent came next with six.

Griffith's 17 points came alongside seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jenkins' double-double was her AAC-leading sixth of the season.

Milligan's defense held St. Andrews to 28.8% (19-66) shooting from the field and 26.7% (4-for-15) from the perimeter.  The Buffs limited the Knights to eight third-quarter points.

For St. Andrews (0-8, 0-7 AAC), Dominique Cooke led all scorers with 22 points while Aijah Palmore registered a double-double with 14 points and 23 rebounds.

Up next

Milligan faces Montreat on the road on Saturday, continuing its current six-game road swing. The next home game for the Buffs is set for Saturday, Jan. 23, against Tennessee Wesleyan. Home games this season can be followed online through milliganbuffs.com.