Strong Third Quarter Creates Cushion as (RV) Lady Buffs Basketball Outlasts UPIKE

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – After being named as a program receiving votes in the NAIA Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll earlier on Wednesday, the Lady Buffs would have to battle another highly-touted foe from within the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) on Wednesday night. After heading to the break tied, Milligan surged ahead in the third quarter and held on in the fourth to take a tight 82-78 victory at home over the preseason favorite University of Pikeville Bears.

To open the battle, the two sides played as close a first quarter as you might expect two of the top three teams in the AAC to play. Pikeville had an electric period from the field, sinking 8-of-13 overall and 2-of-4 from long range. Milligan was not far behind, connecting on an 8-of-15 clip with an identical 2-of-4 long-distance mark. The Buffs' largest lead was five points at 11-6 with 5:31 to go, but UPIKE erased that lead and took their own at 12-11 with 4:06 left. The two sides would trade buckets until the conclusion of the frame at 19-18 in favor of the Bears. 

A sharpshooting period by Pikeville would ensue, as they tickled the twine on 9-of-14 from the floor, scoring 20 points in the period. Luckily for Milligan, their number of attempts far outpaced UPIKE's, as they went 9-of-19 in the quarter with an extra three-point basket to lead 21-20 over the course of the 10-minute stanza. Neither side had larger than a four-point lead in the frame and settled for a 39-39 tie as the game entered the half. 

Quarter number three was the real difference in the contest, as the Buffaloes surged to a meaningful 65-53 advantage. They used a 9-of-13 quarter from the field, coupled with a perfect 7-of-7 clip at the free-throw line, to jump ahead of the Bears. Conversely, UPIKE had what was by far their worst quarter, making only six shots on 21 attempts, including a 0-for-5 stanza from range. Milligan concocted an 11-0 run over the course of 2:47 of game time between 3:52 and 1:05 on the game clock, which jolted them from a 52-51 advantage to a 63-51 edge. 

In the final frame, shades of Pikeville from back in November resurfaced, as the Bears mounted a charge across the last 10 minutes. On multiple occasions in the last minute of the game, the Bears cut the Buffs' lead to just three points, but the Buffaloes were resilient. Though they shot only 3-of-13 from the field, Milligan made enough free throws (10) to hold on in an 82-78 triumph.  

Semaj Clark's 17 points led the way for the Lady Buffs, shooting at 6-of-14 for the night, with a pair of threes on three attempts. Jaycie Jenkins scored 16 points, while taking only seven shots from the field. She made all eight of her free throw attempts in the triumph. The final player in double-figures was Lauren Longmire, who scored 13 points on a 4-of-8 night from the floor. 

Longmire was the top contributor in the assist category, dishing out five dimes. Jenkins and Lina Lyon had three each, while Clark, Tessa Gibson and Kenzie Campbell passed out two, apiece. Jenna Hare had the final assist. 

Clark put up a double-double with her strong numbers on the boards to go along with her top-notch scoring. She reeled in 13 rebounds in the win, with Longmire having the second most at five. Jenkins hauled in four, and Lyon snagged three, with McKenna Myers grabbing two. A quintet of others had single backboards, as Gibson, Campbell, Lexi Ervin, Naomi Atchley and Hare chipped in. 

The squad had nine steals and four blocks in the contest, as Clark had two of each to lead the way. Longmire provided two thefts and a rejection, while Lyon and Campbell had two steals, apiece. Gibson had the last steal of the game and Renna Lane tallied the other block. 

After a competitive win, Milligan now leads the AAC standings and heads to Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m., where they look to defeat the Rams of Columbia International University to extend their winning streak to six straight.