Milligan College, Tenn. (Dec. 1, 2012) --- The Milligan women's basketball team used a 23-3 run in the closing minutes to take a 75-61 victory over Appalachian Athletic Conference foe Montreat College on Saturday afternoon inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
   In the first half, Dorian Freeman (Augusta, Ga.) scored eight of the first 10 Milligan points to help the Buffaloes take an early 10-2 lead. Johneshia Good (Johnson City, Tenn.) and Jamie Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) pushed the Milligan lead to 15-7 six minutes of the game, and the Buffaloes took a 20-11 lead with a Tracy Hardiman (Maryville, Tenn.) 3-pointer midway through the half
 
   The Lady Cavaliers closed the gap to one point with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes. Milligan responded with a 3-pointer and a 3-point play from Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to extend their lead out with four minutes left. In the final minutes of the half, the Buffaloes got points from Allison Jones (Morristown, Tenn.) and Kelly, but Montreat took a 38-34 lead into the half.
 
   Kelly led the way in the first half with 12 points, while Freeman ended the half with eight points. As a team, Milligan was 11-of-38 (29%) from the floor and 3-of-15 (20%) from the 3-point line. Montreat ended the half with 17-of-38 (45%) from the field and 1-of-5 (20%) from behind the arc.
 
   Kelly picked up where she left off in the first half as she scored 11 points in the first six minutes of the second half while Hill scored four points as Milligan held a slim 50-47 advantage five minutes into the final period. Montreat went on a 9-0 run right before the 10 minute mark to a 56-50 lead with 9:27 left in the game.
 
   Freeman scored six consecutive points to tie the game at 58 with 5:29 left to play, and the Buffaloes continued to hold the momentum as the Freeman points were the first of a 13-0 run that pushed the Milligan lead to seven points with just under two minutes to play. From there, it was all Milligan as they held the Lady Cavaliers to just three points in the game's final seven minutes.  
 
   Kelly led the way as she had a career high 29 points and seven rebounds. Freeman ended the game with 20 points, while Hill tallied 11 points. Good led Milligan in rebounds with eight.
 
   As a team, Milligan was 24-of-71 (34%) from the floor and 5-of-21 (24%) from behind the arc. The Lady Cavaliers ended the 25-of-67 (45%) from the field and 2-of-9 (22%) from the 3-point line.
 
   With the win, Milligan improves to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Montreat falls to 1-1 in AAC action and 8-2 overall.
 
   The Buffaloes return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 4, as they travel to nonconference foe UVA-Wise. Game time in Wise, Va., is slated for 5:30 p.m.