West Palm Beach, Fla. (Dec. 15, 2012) --- The Milligan College women's basketball team was unable to hold off a strong second half by Florida Memorial as they fell 70-63 on the second and final day of Step It Up Classic in West Palm Beach, Fla.
 
   The Buffaloes came out of the gate strong as Johneshia Good (Johnson City, Tenn.) scored six early points and Dorian Freeman (Augusta, Ga.) added a basket to help Milligan take an 8-4 lead four minutes into the game. Jaimee Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) sparked an 8-0 Milligan run as the Buffaloes ran out to a 25-15 lead with eight minutes left in the first game.
 
   Milligan maintained their advantage over the final part of the half. Chelsey Weddle (Hampton, Tenn.) and Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) hit 3-pointers to help Milligan take a 34-20 lead at the break.
 
   In the second half, Freeman struck quickly to put Milligan up 16 points. However, the Lady Lions responded with a 21-4 run that gave them the lead with just over 12 minutes to play. Milligan continued to fight, but Florida Memorial ran out to a 13 point lead. The Buffaloes trimmed the gap back to seven points with buckets from Kelly and Hill, but that was as close as they could get before time expired.
 
   Kelly led the way for the Buffaloes as she tallied 22 points in the game. Freeman had 14 points, while Good ended the game with 11 points and a team high seven rebounds. Hill recorded eight points in the game.
 
   As a team, Milligan finished the game 24-of-59 (41%) from the field and 5-of-19 (26%) from behind the arc. Florida Memorial finished the game 25-of-59 (42%) from the field and 6-of-20 (30%) from the 3-point line.
 
   Milligan falls to 9-5 overall with the loss.
 
   The Buffaloes return to action on Sunday, Dec. 30, for an exhibition game at NCAA D-II Lincoln Memorial University. Game time at Harrogate, Tenn., is slated for 2 p.m.