Milligan Women's Basketball Demolishes Kentucky Christian on the Road

GRAYSON, Ky. – On Tuesday night, the Milligan University women's basketball team headed north to Kentucky Christian University, where they faced off with the Knights looking to get back in the win column. After a closely contested first quarter, the Buffs pulled away in the remaining 30 minutes to take a 109-70 triumph on the road.

In the opening frame, KCU put up an impressive fight, shooting the rock at 8-of-15 (53.5%) in the period to score 18 points. On the other side, Milligan converted on 9-of-20 shots for a 45% tally and 23 points.

The next period was a shooting clinic by both sides, but the combination of turnovers and rebounding struggles by the Knights led to a 30-21 advantage in the quarter for the Buffaloes. Milligan knocked down 13-of-19 from the field, while KCU hit on 8-of-12 in the period. At the break, Milligan held a 53-39 advantage.

Quarter number three was much like the second, but the efficiency for the Milligan offense took a slight step back. Overall, the extra number of chances via offensive rebounds and KCU turnovers made up for it, as the Buffs took the period 23-16. They shot the ball at a 9-of-23 rate but knocked down a trio of three-point shots.

Finally, in the fourth it was a blowout effort from Milligan, who scored a 33-15 advantage to get the game to its final destination of 109-70. A 13-of-21 mark from the field for the Buffaloes, coupled with a lowly 6-of-16 conversion rate for Kentucky Christian, led to the eventual lopsided final.

The offensive prowess of Milligan was on display, as three Buffaloes converted on 50% or more of their shots while launching at least 14 attempts. Jaycie Jenkins continued on her incomparable scoring pace, notching 32 points on a 12-of-18 shooting night, including a 6-of-9 three-point clip. Semaj Clark then provided a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds on a 10-of-15 night from the floor. Lauren Longmire was the final scorer in double digits with 17 points, having made 7-of-14 from the field and converting on 3-of-6 from deep.

Lina Lyon's five assists led the way for the Buffs, while Clark and Longmire added four each. Jenkins and Naomi Atchley also had multiple assists, dishing out two dimes each.

In addition to Clark's 13 boards, Jenkins nearly reached a double-double with nine rebounds. Longmire tied that output, as well, with McKenna Myers coming next on the roster with three. Four different players had two rebounds, as Lyon, Kenzie Campbell, Jenna Hare and Sabrina Espelet were responsible for those eight backboards.

The team had 11 steals and a block, with Longmire leading the team with three steals and the lone block. Myers and Clark had two takeaways, while the remaining four came from Jenkins, Lyon, Campbell and Tessa Gibson.

After getting back on the right track, the Lady Buffs will now have just over a week until their next contest, when they will host the Bulldogs of Union Commonwealth (Ky.) inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m.