Lady Buffs Basketball Starts Slow, Cannot Recover in Loss to No. 10 Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, Ky. – On Thursday afternoon in the Bluegrass State, the Milligan University women's basketball team faced a tough test against one of the elite programs in the NAIA, the No. 10-ranked Georgetown College Tigers. A difficult first half proved to be the difference for the Lady Buffs' on this day, as they fell to the hosts, 93-76.

Quarter number one was tight at a 9-8 deficit for Milligan with 5:25 left in the frame, but then the Tigers posted a 9-0 run over the next 2:49 to make it 18-8. They then further extended that lead to a 30-13 game at the conclusion of the period. The Buffaloes limped to a meager 6-of-21 shooting display with just one three-point make on eight tries. Georgetown, meanwhile, scorched the net with a 13-of-19 quarter.

The Buffs' second quarter was not much better, as they allowed Georgetown to gradually stretch their lead to 53-29 at the end of the first half. Milligan entered the break facing their largest deficit of the game at 24 points. Overall, the Lady Buffs sunk only six of their 18 shots in the frame with another tough 1-of-7 three-point mark. The Tigers continued to sizzle with a 9-of-16 clip.

A much improved third-quarter performance, in which the Buffaloes built a 24-18 scoring edge, trimmed the Georgetown lead down to 18 entering the fourth quarter. The Buffs had a great quarter shooting the rock, as they made 10 of their 19 attempts form the field. That, coupled with a subpar 7-of-20 mark by the Tigers, put Milligan in charge of the momentum heading into the final frame.

After a torrid start to the final quarter for Milligan, during which they cut the deficit down to as little as 10 points, GC pulled clear over the last 4:12 of the contest to earn a 93-76 win over MU on the Tigers' home floor. Georgetown was unable to shoot the ball efficiently in the period, yet again, as they made just five shots on 13 tries. The Lady Buffs' 10-of-18 clip was their most prolific on the afternoon, but they shot zero free throws in the final quarter, while the Tigers converted on 10-of-12 to make the eventual difference.

Five Buffaloes reached double-figures in points scored, as Semaj Clark's 16 led the way. She shot 6-of-15 in the contest. Jaycie Jenkins posted 15 points to secure one half of her double-double in the battle. She had an identical line as Clark's at 6-of-15. Lauren Longmire (5-of-14) and Lina Lyon (5-of-7) scored 11 each, while Jenna Hare tallied 10 off the bench at 5-of-11 for the bout.

Jenkins' six assists were the most for any Buffalo in the loss, while Clark provided five, and Lyon dished out four. Hare and Kenzie Campbell doled out three each off the bench, while Longmire and Naomi Atchley supplied a pair apiece.

To complete her double-double, Jenkins tallied 12 rebounds as the lone Buff in double-digits. The trio of Longmire, Lyon and Hare collected six apiece, while both Clark and Campbell snatched four. McKenna Myers had two additional backboards.

Defensively, Clark stood out with three steals and a single block in the matchup. She was joined by Jenkins and Longmire, who each had a single steal to amount to the five steals and one block that MU notched.

The loss to the Tigers snaps the Buffaloes' four-game winning streak, as they now sit at 7-6 overall. Next on the docket for the Buffs is another non-conference matchup against a powerhouse in the No. 7-ranked University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) Patriots. That battle will be played on New Years Eve, Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. ET.