Salem, W.V. (Dec. 8, 2012) --- The Milligan College women's basketball came up short in overtime on Saturday night as they fell 77-74 to NAIA Division I WVU-Tech on the second day of the Joe Manchin Classic in Salem, W.V.

Tracy Hardiman (Maryville, Tenn.) opened the scoring for Milligan with a 3-pointer, and Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) drained two 3-pointers to lift Milligan to an early 9-2 lead. The Buffaloes extended their advantage to 10 points when Joneshia Good (Johnson City, Tenn.) hit a jumper with 16:45 left in the half.

The Golden Bears slowly cut into the gap as they tied the game at 18-18 with eight minutes left in the game. Callie Cox (Knoxville, Tenn.) broke the tie with a 3-pointer and Milligan maintained the advantage the rest of the half as they led 40-36 at the break.

The teams traded shots as Milligan maintained a slim 53-48 advantage midway through the half. Over the next five minutes, the Buffaloes held the lead until WVU Tech jumped ahead with just over four minutes left in the game. Good put Milligan ahead in the final minute with a 3-pointer, but Amber Tylly tied the game and forced overtime with 15 seconds remaining in regulation.

In overtime, the Golden Bears quickly jumped out to a four point lead in the opening minute. Hardiman scored on a layup with just over two minutes remaining, but WVU Tech answered on the other end. Kelly scored on a jumper with 1:09 left int the game to close the gap to 76-74. However, the Buffaloes were unable to close the gap any further before time expired.

Hardiman led the way with 17 points as she went 5-for-6 from behind the 3-point line. Kelly tallied 15 points, while Allison Jones (Morristown, Tenn.) tallied 11 points. Jamie Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) ended the game with 10 points. Good recorded a team high 13 rebounds and nine points.

As a team, Milligan finished the game 27-of-70 (39%) from the floor and 10-of-25 (40%) from behind the arc. WVU Tech ended the night 29-of-84 (35%) from the field and 5-of-19 (26%) from behind the 3-point line.


With the loss, Milligan falls to 8-4 overall.

The Buffaloes return to action on Friday, Dec. 14, as they kick off a two-game road trip through Florida against Northwood University. Game time is set for 2 p.m.