No. 11 Seed Buffaloes Women's Basketball Nabs First NAIA First Round Triumph in 26 Years over No. 6 Seed Oregon Tech

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – On Friday night, the No. 11-seeded Milligan University women's basketball squad did battle with the No. 6-seeded Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls at Marian University in Indianapolis, Ind. to determine who would move on to face the No. 3-seeded Knights of Marian on Saturday evening. After a tight first three frames, the Lady Buffaloes roared ahead with a prolific fourth quarter on offense, nabbing their first nationals win in 26 years.

The opening quarter favored the higher seed, as the Buffs shot just 26.3% from the field at 5-of-19 to open the contest en route to 13 first-period points. For OIT, it was a 22-point quarter to open the bout, with a 10-of-18, 55.6% clip.

Second quarter action brought different results, as the Buffaloes were able to put together a 26-20 period, even taking the lead at 39-37 with just under a minute left. The Buffaloes converted on 45% of their shot attempts in the period, taking great advantage of second chance opportunities. They had 11 such points in the opening half of action. Oregon Tech did hit 60% of their shots in the period, but they took only 14 shots. At the break, Milligan trailed by a three-point margin, 42-39.

In the third, the two sides traded buckets for much of the period, as it was a low-scoring quarter. Milligan held a 13-12 advantage over the course of the 10 minutes. The Buffaloes hit just four field goals in the stanza, and allowed six, but they made four free throws, while OIT converted none. It was a 54-52 deficit for MU entering the fourth.

The Buffaloes took the game by the horns in the fourth, scoring a 10-of-16 mark from the field. With that, they held the Owls to just 5-of-21, ultimately opening up a lead as large as 13 points at 75-62 with 2:17 to play. Milligan would hold on and win by a final tally of 83-74 for their first NAIA First Round win since the 1998-99 campaign.

It was a stellar night for the Buffs' leading scorer, Jaycie Jenkins, who scored 33 points on 9-of-17 from the floor. She hit four threes on five tries and sink 11-of-13 at the charity stripe. Semaj Clark tallied 22 points on an impressive 8-of-19 shooting clip, knocking down a pair of triples in the process. McKenna Myers also provided double-digit points, with 10.

Clark's four assists were the top output for a Buff in the game and both the point guards, Lina Lyon and Tessa Gibson, provided three. Lauren Longmire dished out a pair of dimes, and Jenkins, Caroline Krueger and Naomi Atchley had one apiece.

A total of 11 rebounds were corralled by Clark, as she achieved a double-double in the win. Jenkins and Longmire hauled in seven each, while Myers snatched six. Jenna Hare grabbed four, and the trio of Lyon, Krueger and Kenzie Campbell handled two apiece. Gibson also rebounded the orange once.

Six steals and a block were tallied by the Buffaloes in the win, as Clark had two steals and the team's one block. Longmire also had two takeaways, and Lyon and Hare had the two remaining thefts.

It is the first time that the Milligan women's basketball program has advanced past the First Round of the NAIA Tournament since 1998-99, as they now look ahead to tomorrow night at 6 p.m., when they face the No. 3-seeded Marian University Knights on their home floor with a trip to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa on the line.