Milligan College, Tenn. (Nov. 16, 2012) --- The Milligan College women's basketball team picked up a 83-65 victory over West Virginia Tech on Friday night on the opening day of the Milligan Classic inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
   The Buffaloes opened the game quickly as Tracy Hardiman (Maryville, Tenn.) hit a 3-pointer 10 seconds into the contest and Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hit two free throws to give Milligan an early 5-0 lead. Hardiman drained another 3-pointer to help Milligan take a 13-2 lead four minutes into the game, and the Buffaloes maintained a 20-8 lead with 12 minutes left in the half.
 
   The Golden Bears went on an 11-0 run to close the gap to one point, and the teams traded points for the final five minutes of the frame. A Jamiee Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) 3-pointer gave Milligan a four point lead with 1:26 on the clock, and the Buffaloes held a 32-28 advantage at the break.
 
   Kelly led Milligan in the half with 11 points, while Hill ended the period with nine points. As a team, the Buffaloes were 12-of-38 (32%) from the floor and 5-of-18 (28%) from behind the 3-point line. WVU Tech was 11-of-38 (29%) from the field and 5-of-16 (31%) from behind the arc.
 
   Milligan opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 42-30 lead four minutes into the half. After a 6-0 WVU Tech run, Hardiman and Kelly hit shots to help the Buffaloes maintain a 53-44 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.  
 
   The Buffaloes used an 11-3 run to extend their lead to 60-47. In the final five minutes of play, the Golden Bears trimmed the Milligan lead to five points, but freshman Alison Jones (Morristown, Tenn.) and Callie Cox (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) hit big shots to extend the Buffaloes back to double-digits and to secure the victory.
 
   Kelly led the way with her second double-double of the season as she had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Hardiman finished the game with 17 points. Dorian Freeman (Augusta, Ga.) scored 14 points. Jones recorded 11 points.
 
   As a team, Milligan was 29-of-72 (40%) from the field and 9-of-28 (32%) from behind the 3-point line, while the Golden Bears were 26-of-72 (36%) from the floor and 9-of-26 (34%) from behind the arc.
 
   With the win, Milligan improves to 4-2 overall.
 
   The Buffaloes return to action on Saturday, Nov. 17, for the second and final day of the Milligan Classic against Virginia University of Lynchburg. Game time is set for 3 p.m., inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.