(RV) Milligan Women's Basketball Notches AAC Victory at Union Commonwealth

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – The (RV) Milligan University women's basketball squad continued their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate on Saturday afternoon at Union Commonwealth University. Though it was not the smoothest contest, the result was never in doubt, as the Lady Buffs coasted to their 11th conference win in a row, 85-69.

In the opening quarter, Milligan came out hot, sinking 14-of-19 from the field. That efficient mark allowed them to notch 32 first-quarter points. The Bulldogs shot the ball well, too, as they put up a 9-of-18 clip in the period to score 20 points. The Buffs had a 12-point lead entering the second. 

The next period was one of attrition on the offensive end, for both sides, as the Buffaloes' 7-of-18 (38.9%) clip was not up to their typical standard. Luckily for Milligan, Union Commonwealth only sunk 5-of-16 (31.3%), which allowed MU to stretch their lead from 32-20 to 53-33 at the intermission. 

Quarter number three told the same story as the second frame, as neither side shot the ball with great efficiency. Milligan's 8-of-22 shooting line was under the 40% mark, yet again, as they struggled to score consistently. For UCU, it was another dismal 4-of-13 showing from the floor with just 13 points to show for it. The Buffaloes held a 71-46 advantage with one quarter to play.  

Union Commonwealth put up a fight in the fourth frame, putting forth their best shooting conversion rate of the game at 9-of-15 (60%) to score 23 points. The Lady Buffs had a dreadful final quarter, going just 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the field to finish the day with a 35-of-80 mark (43.8%). In the end, the Bulldogs did some window dressing to cut the Buffs' eventual tally to 85-69 in Barbourville. 

Jaycie Jenkins (8-of-19) and Lauren Longmire (8-of-13) each scored 18 points in the contest to tie for the team lead. They also evenly split four made three-pointers. Semaj Clark scored 16 on a 50% clip at 7-of-14, while McKenna Myers scored 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting with two threes to round out the list of double-digit scorers. 

Starting point guard Lina Lyon doled out seven assists in the win, with Clark providing five more to claim 12 of Milligan's 17 assists. Jenna Hare had two, while Longmire, Caroline Krueger and Naomi Atchley recorded the other three. 

Jenkins pulled in seven boards in the victory, with five of those coming on the offensive end of the hardwood. Clark and Kenzie Campbell each tallied six rebounds, while both Longmire and Lyon snagged four. Krueger grabbed three, with Hare, Tessa Gibson, Renna Lane and Sabrina Espelet snatching two each. Myers, Atchley and Lexi Ervin grabbed the last three. 

A total of 15 steals and two blocks were compiled by the Buffaloes, as they saw huge contributions on the defensive end of the floor. Longmire had five steals and a block to lead the way, while Clark added four thefts. Jenkins had two steals and a rejection in the bout, as Myers, Gibson, Campbell and Atchley each had a single steal. 

With another AAC win, Milligan continues to display their stranglehold on the top spot in the conference standings. Next up is a conference tilt against Montreat College inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m.