Women’s Basketball falls short at CIU 70-60

COLUMBIA, S.C. (February 4, 2023) – The Milligan University women's basketball team rallied back from a 23-point first half deficit to take a three-point lead into the fourth quarter but ultimately fell 70-60 at CIU on Saturday afternoon.

The Buffs and Rams split the season series as Milligan falls to 17-6 overall and 15-4 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. The Rams rise to 12-12, 11-9 AAC.

CIU drained four three-pointers in the first quarter and seven treys total in the first half as the hosts raced out to a 42-25 halftime lead. The Rams' largest advantage came late in the third quarter with CIU owning a 42-19 edge.

The Buffs struck back in the third quarter as Milligan outscored CIU 26-4 in the frame. Stacia Wilson opened the quarter with a three to kickstart a 15-0 run in the opening five minutes of the quarter. Semaj Clark's three with 2:27 left in the period tied the game at 44. Kristy Galea's free throws gave Milligan a 51-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, the roles were reversed as CIU opened the quarter with a 13-0 run to lead 61-51 with four minutes to go. The Buffs were limited to nine points on two-of-19 shooting as CIU escaped with the 70-60 victory.

Lauren Longmire led the Buffs with 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field and seven-of-10 from the charity stripe with seven rebounds. Galea added nine points, seven of which came from the free throw line, and six rebounds.

The Buffs won the rebounding battle 49-38 and the turnover margin 15-11, but shot just 25.7 percent from the field on the day.

Milligan returns to action Tuesday evening at Tennessee Wesleyan.