Milligan College, Tenn. (Nov. 17, 2012) --- The Milligan College women's basketball team used a strong first half and never looked back as they recorded an 80-70 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg on the second and final day of the Milligan Classic on Saturday inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
   The game's opening minutes saw the Lady Dragons take a 7-3 lead before Milligan went on a 10-0 run capped by four points from Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to take a 13-7 lead seven minutes into the game. A 3-pointer from Jamiee Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) sparked the Buffaloes to a 22-11 lead midway through the first half.
 
   Dorian Freeman (Augusta, Ga.) scored the next 11 points for Milligan as the Buffaloes extended their advantage to 33-20 with five minutes remaining. The Buffaloes maintained the lead for the remainder of the half as they held a 42-25 advantage at the break.
 
   Freeman and Hill led the way in the first half with 13 and 11 points, respectively. As a team, Milligan was 12-of-31 (39%) from the field and 2-of-8 (25%) from the 3-point, while VUL ended the period 8-of-34 (24%) from the floor and 2-of-11 (18%) from behind the arc.
 
   Milligan opened the second half on a 6-0 run sparked by points from Tracy Hardiman (Maryville, Tenn.) and Freeman. The Buffaloes continued to extend their lead as they held a 55-30 advantage with 11 minutes left in the game. In the final 10 minutes, Milligan continued to keep the Lady Dragons at bay, and then held off a late rally to secure the victory.
 
   Freeman led the way as she ended the game with 18 points. Hill tallied 15 points, while Kelly recorded 14 points. Johneshia Good (Johnson City, Tenn.) scored eight points in the game.
 
   As a team, Milligan was 20-of-51 (39%) from the field and 5-of-13 (39%) from behind the arc. The Lady Dragons finished the game 21-of-69 (30%) from the floor and 6-of-18 (33%) from the 3-point line.
 
   With the win, Milligan improves to 5-2 on the season.
 
   The Buffaloes return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 28, as they open Appalachian Athletic Conference action at Virginia Intermont. Game time in Bristol, Va., is set for 5:30 p.m.