Milligan Women's Basketball Hammers (RV) Johnson in 100-Point Performance

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – On Saturday afternoon, the Milligan University women's basketball team returned to Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play with a highly-touted matchup against the (RV) Johnson University Royals, who sat atop the AAC standings entering play. The Lady Buffs could not be stopped in this one, however, as they shot well over 50% from the field in a 107-85 drubbing of Johnson. 

To open the battle, Milligan was scorching the net from everywhere on the floor, hitting 11 shots on 18 attempts. Additionally, they kept control of the orange nicely, only turning the ball over three times. Johnson also had a strong period, in which they converted on 7-of-13 (53.8%) field goals in the opening quarter, as the Buffs entered the second quarter with a 24-20 lead. 

Milligan continued to sizzle in the second frame, connecting on 10-of-18 (55.6%) offensively. They also held Johnson to a less productive 8-of-19 (42.1%) clip, which helped the Lady Buffs surge to a 49-39 advantage entering the half. 

Simply put, the Buffaloes' offense continued to be nails in the second half of the contest, hitting on 10-of-20 (50%) from the field in the penultimate quarter. The Royals did the same, but three additional made three-point shots by Milligan proved to make a difference, as MU extended their lead by six points to 77-61 entering the final frame.  

The result was never in doubt during the fourth, as Milligan spent their fourth straight period putting up a shooting percentage greater than 50%, this time at 13-of-21 (61.9%). Their first 30-point quarter of the afternoon helped bolster their advantage, which ended up at 22 points at the final buzzer, 107-85. 

After eclipsing 2,000 career points last time out, Jaycie Jenkins scored 29 more in this triumph, draining 12-of-17 from the field, including a trio of long-range jumpers. She was followed by Lina Lyon, who supplied 17 points on a 7-of-9 day from the field, along with a perfect 3-of-3 clip from deep. Semaj Clark's 15 points came on a 7-of-14 performance, while Lauren Longmire was also in double-digits with 12 points on a 4-of-10 day from the field. 

Longmire was also the team's leader in assists, with six, and Clark followed her with four of her own. Both Jenkins and Lyon dished out three, while Tessa Gibson, Caroline Krueger, Naomi Atchley and Jenna Hare passed out two, apiece. 

Longmire and Jenkins tied with six rebounds each to lead the Buffs in the win. Clark would add five in the effort, with Lexi Ervin totaling four. Renna Lane and Atchley added three apiece, and McKenna Myers and Krueger each nabbed two. 

The Milligan defense racked up 11 steals in the victory, with Longmire leading the charge with three. Jenkins and Lyon had two each, and the remainder of the takeaways came from Myers, Clark, Gibson and Atchley. 

Following a significant triumph against a top-tier conference opponent, Milligan continues their campaign on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in Athens, Tenn. against the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs.