Dayton, Tenn. (Jan 6, 2010) --- The Milligan College women's basketball team were dealt their first league loss of the season Wednesday night by the Lady Lions of Bryan (Tenn.) College, 78-66.  

The Lady Buffs came out of the gate strong as usual, and cruised to a 37-29 halftime lead compliments of a 6-of-13 shooting effort from beyond the arc. The second half was not as kind to the Lady Buffs as they fired just 35 percent from the field. 

Despite controlling much of the possession and having 14 more shot attempts than the Lady Lions (66-52), a key difference in the outcome for Milligan was rebounding. Bryan out rebounded the Milligan 46-29 for the contest. Another key factor in the Lady Buffs loss the Lady Lions 30 trips to the charity stripe as opposed to the Lady Buffs 11.  

Offensively, the Lady Buffs were sparked by Heather Mandela's 18 point, six rebound performance. Sophomore Samantha Blevins had a career high 14 points against the Lady Lions, courtesy of 4-of-9 shooting night from 3-point range. Former Lady Topper Jaimee Hill pitched in nine points and four assists, while senior point-guard Brit White had eight points and five assists.        

With the loss, the Lady Buffs drop to 10-6 on the year and 3-1 in league play, while Bryan improves to 12-4 overall and shares the top spot with Milligan at 3-1 in the AAC.  

The Milligan women travel Bluefield College, Saturday, Jan. 9, to face off against the Lady Rams for their next AAC contest. Action begins inside Dome Gymnasium at 5:30 p.m.