Buffs Women's Basketball Hangs on Late for Victory over Bryan

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The Milligan University women's basketball squad battled the Bryan College Lions on Saturday afternoon in search of their third straight Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) triumph. Steve Lacy Fieldhouse played host to the contest that saw the Buffs hang on to a 72-69 win, despite a late surge by the Lions.

Milligan looked to have things in hand in the first quarter, scoring a 23-14 advantage following the opening 10 minutes. Over the course of the period, the Buffaloes hit on 56.9% of their shots, sinking them at a 9-of-16 clip. Meanwhile, the Lions struggled mightily, shooting just 6-of-17 from the field (35.3%).

In the next stanza, it was much of the same from the Bryan offense, who hit only four field goals in the quarter. For Milligan, it was a slight step back, as well, as they made just seven shots on 17 tries for a 41.2% mark. After an 18-10 quarter, the Buffs headed to the locker room looking dominant with a 41-24 lead.

The second quarter script was flipped in the third, as the Buffaloes were the squad that only hit four shots and only just made the 30% mark in efficiency. Bryan had a 6-of-14 clip in the frame, scoring an 18-10 advantage over the 10-minute period. With the effort, they cut down the Milligan advantage to just nine points at 51-42.

Following the disappointing third quarter, the Buffs had a slow start to the fourth, as Bryan surged to take the lead at 56-55 with 5:35 to go. From that point, the two sides traded blows until Milligan was able to nab a 70-66 lead with 0:40 to play, which would end up being enough for the Buffaloes to hold the lead for the remainder of the bout and earn the 72-69 victory.

Milligan boasted a total of four scorers in double-figures, with McKenna Myers' 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-5 from long distance leading the way. Jaycie Jenkins added 15 points on a 4-of-10 day from the field, while Lauren Longmire hit on 4-of-8 in the contest to score 13 points. Semaj Clark poured in 11 points on a 3-of-9 mark from the floor.

Longmire led the squad in the assist category, dishing out six in the victory. Clark and Lina Lyon each provided three assists, while Myers and Jenna Hare had two, apiece.

Clark nabbed 13 boards in the triumph, giving her a double-double, making it back-to-back contests with at least a double-double. Hare and Longmire reeled in five rebounds apiece, and the trio of Jenkins, Lyon and Naomi Atchley grabbed three each.

It was the second straight contest in which Clark registered five steals for the Buffaloes. Longmire had two and the remainder of the starting lineup (Jenkins, Myers, Lyon) each had a steal. Milligan did not block a shot in the battle.

After hanging on to a slim victory, the Buffs look forward to a trip to Laurinburg, N.C. on Monday, Dec. 16 for their final contest of the first semester in the AAC, looking for their fourth straight win.