Milligan College, Tenn. (Jan. 11, 2012) --- The Milligan College women's basketball team rallied late to upset No. 19 Union (Ky.) College 53-49 on Wednesday night in AAC action inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

   The Buffaloes controlled the game in the first four games as Johneshia Good (Johnson City, Tenn.) scored five points to help give Milligan an early 7-0 lead. Union closed the gap with a 7-1 run, but Dorian Freeman (Augusta, Ga.) hit a jumper to put Milligan up 11-9 midway through the half.

   After the Lady Bulldogs tied the game at 11, Milligan jumped back out to a four point advantage as they led 18-16 with 2:31 left in the half. Both teams traded shots as Milligan trailed 21-20 at the break.

   Good's five points led the Buffaloes at the break, while Ashlee Price (Rogersville, Tenn.) had four points in the period. As a team, Milligan was 7-of-32 (22%) from the floor and 2-of-7 (29%) from the 3-point line. Union was 9-of-30 (30%) from the field and 1-of-4 (25%) from behind the arc.

   The Buffaloes started the second half as they jumped back out to a 27-24 lead I the opening minutes of the half. However, the Lady Bulldogs took their biggest lead of the game with a 12-2 run that gave them a 36-29 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.

   The Buffaloes started slowly closing the gap with buckets from senior Alisha Mainer (Flag Pond, Tenn.) and Freeman. Union added six unanswered points, Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) sparked an 11-4 run that saw Milligan tie the game with a Freeman basket with 1:40 on the clock.

   The Buffaloes kept that run going with free throws from Good and Hill to go up 51-47 advantage with 42 seconds left. Union closed the gap to two with a basket with 31 seconds, but freshman Chelsey Weddle (Hampton, Tenn.) and Good added a free throw apiece to preserve the victory.
 
    Freeman ended the night with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Mainer tallied up 10 points in the game. Good recorded eight points. Price scored seven points and led the Buffaloes with 12 rebounds.
 
   As a team, Milligan was 17-of-63 (27%) from the field and 3-of-14 (21%) from behind the arc. Union finished the game 19-of-56 (34%) and 1-of-9 (11%) from behind the 3-point line. Lindsey Waters, who was selected as the NAIA's national player of the week last week, led Union with 25 points.
 
   With the win, Milligan improves to 11-7 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Union falls to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in AAC action.
 
   The Buffaloes continue AAC play on Saturday, Jan. 14, as they travel to Athens, Tenn., for a crucial matchup with Tennessee Wesleyan. Game time is set for 2 p.m.