Clark's Offensive Explosion Helps Lady Buffs Basketball to Blowout Win over Columbia

MILLIGAN, Tenn. - On Wednesday night, The Milligan University women's basketball team nabbed another Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) victory against the Koalas of Columbia College. In a bout that was close for the first 10 minutes, Milligan pulled away across the final three quarters to earn a high-scoring 110-67 triumph.  

The first quarter saw the Koalas stay within seven points of the Lady Buffs at 25-18. Milligan went 10-of-21 from the field to start the evening, while holding Columbia in the 30's. 

Distancing themselves in the second quarter were the Buffaloes, boasting a 31-18 advantage over the course of the frame. Semaj Clark had 12 points in the period to lead the squad on 5-of-6 from the field. Two of those five makes were from beyond the arc. They shot 13-of-21 as a team in the quarter (61.9%). Milligan's lead was 20 points at 56-36 at the intermission.  

Over the course of the third and fourth quarters, the outcome was never in question, with the Buffaloes sporting double-digit advantages in each of the final two stanzas to coast to a beatdown of the Koalas, 110-67.  

Clark was on fire in the win, scoring 33 points on an outstanding 14-of-20 clip. She also nailed five of her eight launches from deep. Lauren Longmire also had a strong night offensively, scoring 18 points on just 10 shots. Lina Lyon, the 5'3 point guard, posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in the triumph. 

Longmire and Lyon also tied for the team-high mark in assists with six apiece. Tessa Gibson had four, while Clark and Jaycie Jenkins doled out three each. 

Lyon's 12 backboards were atop the list for Milligan, with Clark coming in second with seven of her own. Kenzie Campbell had five, and a quartet of Lady Buffs had four each (Jenkins, Longmire, Lexi Ervin, Jenna Hare). 

In addition to her offensive performance, Clark was also a cunning thief on defense, grabbing three steals and sending back one shot. Jenkins had two steals and a block of her own, while three other Buffaloes had single steals (Lyon, McKenna Myers, Caroline Krueger).  

Milligan, now 3-4 on the young season, will head south to Waleska, Ga. for a matchup with the Reinhardt University Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.