Sioux City, Iowa (March 7, 2013) --- The No. 7 Milligan College women's basketball team erased a 17-point deficit to force overtime but came up short as they fell 84-76 to No. 2 College of the Ozarks in the first round of the 2013 NAIA Women's Basketball D-II National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa.
 
   “We went toe-to-toe with them, and I am proud of our team's performance,” Head Coach Rich Aubrey said. “After practice yesterday, I told them to make today another day where we recover from adversity, but this isn't exactly what I had planned. The kids did a great job responding to getting down, and they continued to play aggressive and attack the whole game. We were able to make plays and force overtime.”
 
   Johneshia Good (Johnson City, Tenn.) opened the game with a 3-pointer, and she added a jumper to give Milligan an early 5-3 lead. After a 6-0 Lady Bobcats run, Jamiee Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) hit a basket and Good hit her second 3-pointer of the game to close the gap to 11-10 with just under 15 minutes to play in the half.
 
   College of the Ozarks extended their lead to 16-10. However, the Buffaloes responded as Hill kicked off a 10-4 run capped by a pair of free throws by Chelsey Weddle (Hampton, Tenn.) to tie the game at 20-20. Callie Cox (Knoxville, Tenn.) hit two 3-pointers, but the Lady Bobcats took a 36-26 lead at the half.
 
   Good led the way at the break for Milligan with 10 points. As a team, the Buffaloes were 10-of-31 (31%) from the field and 4-of-12 (33%) from behind the arc. The Lady Bobcats were 13-of-27 (48%) from the floor and 1-of-3 (33%) from behind the 3-point line.
 
   Tracy Hardiman (Maryville, Tenn.) hit a 3-pointer to start the second half for the Buffaloes, but the Lady Bobcats extended their lead to 44-29 four minutes into the game. Milligan continued to cut into the lead as Dorian Freeman (Augusta, Ga.) hit a jumper to close the deficit to 10 points with 13 minutes to play. The College of the Ozarks held a 56-44 lead at the midpoint of the half.
 
   The Buffaloes responded as they went on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes capped off by a Hill basket. Hardiman scored five of the next seven Milligan points as a 3-pointer with 4:55 pulled the Buffaloes within 63-59. After the Lady Bobcats scored four straight points, the Buffaloes saw Freeman and Hill hit lay-ups and Good drain a 3-pointer as Milligan closed the gap to three points with just over two minutes to play.
 
   Milligan responded to a pair of Lady Bobcats free throws with a 3-pointer from Hardiman with 1:05 remaining, and Kayla Kelly (Chattanooga, Tenn.) tied the game with 16.5 seconds left with a jumper.
 
   After Morgan Smith put the Lady Bobcats up by two with 4.4 seconds remaining, the Buffaloes sent the game into overtime as Good found Freeman for the game tying shot.
 
   “Tracy threw a great inbound pass to get Johneshia the ball in space,” Aubrey said.
“We had a 2-on-1, and Johneshia made a great play by taking the play at the rim. Dorian made a great play. I knew once Johneshia turned the corner we were going to get a really good shot.”
 
  In overtime, the Lady Bobcats scored the first four points. Hill answered for Milligan with a jumper, but the Buffaloes were unable to answer a late 6-1 College of the Ozarks run.
 
   Good finished with a team high 17 points and four assists, while Hardiman recorded 14 points and eight rebounds. Hill ended the game with 14 points. Freeman and Kelly had nine and seven points, respectively. Smith paced the Lady Bobcats with a game high 40 points.
 
   “Johneshia played very well and she was aggressive for us the whole game,” Aubrey said. “Jamiee had a great game as well as Tracy and Dorian. Everybody stayed aggressive, and I think that was the biggest thing that allowed us to come back.”
 
   As a team, the Buffaloes were 29-of-74 (39%) from the field and 10-of-26 (39%) from behind the arc. The College of the Ozarks ended the game 27-of-62 (44%) from the floor and 5-of-15 (33%) from behind the 3-point line.
 
   The Buffaloes will graduate three seniors in Hill, Good and Freeman.
 
   “Those three together are the most passionate graduating class about basketball I've ever had,” Aubrey said. “They absolutely love basketball, and it is contagious. It makes practice fun and productive, and all three had their best seasons during their senior year. That is just a tribute to them and their hard work as well as the way they came through for us on the floor. I can say plenty of good things about our seniors.”
 
   Milligan finishes the regular season with an overall record of 23-10, and the Buffaloes claimed the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 16-2 conference mark.