Buffs down Columbia on the road 79-66

Columbia, S.C. (February 1, 2022) — The Milligan University women's basketball began the final month of the season on a high note with a 79-66 victory over Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent Columbia (S.C.). Milligan completed the regular season sweep over the Koalas with Tuesday night win.  

Milligan moves to 14-7 (14-2 AAC) with the victory while Columbia falls to 3-16 (3-15 AAC) with the loss.  

Columbia put the pressure on Milligan early climbing out to a 14-7 lead through the first six minutes of the first quarter. The Buffs responded with an 8-0 run in the final four minutes stringing together seven consecutive stops on the defensive end. Two free throws by Lauren Longmire with just under ten seconds gave Milligan the lead (16-14) going into the second quarter.  

The Buffs flipped the script on Columbia in the second darting out to a 15-6 run in the first seven minutes of the quarter. Nine of the 15 points were scored by Jaycie Jenkins during the spurt. Over the final three minutes, the Koalas fought their way back from what was once an 11-point lead by the Buffs (31-20) to an eight-point deficit by halftime 34-26.   

Milligan continued to pour it on the Koalas at the beginning of the second half reeling off an 11-3 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter to extend their lead to 15 (45-30). After trading baskets for the remainder of the third, Columbia fought back to trim the Buffs lead to 12 going into the fourth quarter.  

The Buffs offense continued to play well for the duration of the fourth quarter. As a team, Milligan shot 75 percent on six-of-eight from the field and ten-of-11 from the free-throw-line in the fourth. On the defensive side of the basketball, the Buffs held the Koalas to 40 percent shooting from the field and one-of-six from behind the arc. Milligan outscored Columbia in every quarter while going on to win 79-66.  

Three players scored in double-figures on the night with Halie Padgett and Jaycie Jenkins both recording double-doubles. Padgett finished with a game-high 22 points on six-of-eight shooting from the field and grabbed 11 boards. Jenkins dropped in 18 points and came down with a game-high 13 rebounds. Longmire chipped in 16 points while going seven-of-eight from the charity stripe and swiped two steals as well.  

The Buffs will return to action on Thursday with a visiting AAC matchup at Kentucky Christian at 5:30 p.m.