DAYTON, Tenn. (Jan. 2, 2014) â€" Allison Jones scored 22 points, but it was free throws and defense down the stretch that carried the Milligan women's basketball team past No. 25 Bryan College, 73-70, Thursday night.

With the victory, Milligan (9-6, 5-2 AAC) handed Bryan its first conference loss of the season and snapped its skid of back-to-back losses. Bryan (10-5, 5-1 AAC) lost its second straight after winning nine in a row.

The Lady Buffaloes held Bryan to four points on 2-of-7 shooting over their last eight possessions, spanning the final three minutes. None of their stops were bigger than the forced turnover with four seconds remaining in a 72-70 ballgame.

The victory for Milligan came after enduring seven ties and 16 lead changes, the last of which came with just over a minute remaining in the first half. With the score tied at 37, Chelsey Weddle converted a pair of free throws to give the Lady Buffaloes a lead which, despite an eventful second half, they would never relinquish.

"This was a very gutsy road win for us," said Head Coach Rich Aubrey. "We made big plays to earn the lead and then to keep it."

In addition to making big defensive stops, Milligan was 26-of-32 from the foul line, including 16-of-19 in the second half.  

Jones' 22 points led all scorers while a handful of other Lady Buffaloes contributed in major ways. Hayley Wyrick had 14 points and five rebounds. Kayla Kelly, who knocked down a long-range jumper with just over two minutes left to give Milligan a four-point lead, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Weddle was a point shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 boards.

Bryan's Megan Billingsby led the Lady Lions with 19 points off the bench. Kristin Lane scored 16 points with nine rebounds in the losing effort.

Milligan returns home Saturday for a matchup with Reinhardt (6-7, 3-3 AAC). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. The men's game will follow at 4 p.m.