MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Feb. 20, 2016) â€" The Milligan College women's basketball team is heading to Iowa. With a 69-56 victory over Columbia College Saturday afternoon at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, the Buffaloes earned the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season crown and an automatic berth to the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship.
 
They did it with a regular-season record of 23-6 (17-3 AAC), marking the 10th time in the last 11 seasons Milligan finished with 18 or more wins and the second time in the last four seasons Milligan won the AAC. Seniors Caitlyn Cain, Callie Cox, Allison Jones and Casey Jones, who were all on the 24-10 team which won the AAC in 2013, were honored after the game.
 
"This was a great way to celebrate senior day," Head Coach Rich Aubrey said. "We believed that if we played high energy, eventually (Columbia) would wear down. Everyone contributed great energy, and our depth helped us prevail."
 
A. Jones scored Milligan's first nine points on the way to a team-high 14 points as Milligan overcame a slow start Saturday against Columbia. Her final basket during the opening stretch was a triple from the top of the key which gave Milligan a 9-7 lead, and the Buffs followed it two and a half minutes later with the start of a 15-0 run where they went ahead 26-14.
 
Milligan extended the lead out to 14 in the first half only to lead by one, 32-31, at the break. Much of that was due to a 12-2 run Columbia used to end the half.
 
Although only leading by one at halftime, Milligan never trailed in the second half, scoring the first six points out of the break and later using another 6-0 run near the end of the third quarter to go ahead by nine, 51-42. From there, Milligan never saw the lead dip under seven within the last 12 minutes of the game.
 
"I'm so happy for this team," Aubrey said. "They have been very committed to the goal of going to Iowa since our first day of conditioning. I'm so happy for our players to see it all pay off."
 
A. Jones' 14-point effort, which included going 2-for-2 from the perimeter, was matched by sophomore Courtney Wilson and freshman Sarah Robinson. Morgan Gose scored 10 and Andi Lamb had eight. Robinson added 15 rebounds, nine on the defensive end, to tie her career high while also chipping in with two assists, two blocks and two steals. Wilson also blocked two shots and assisted two baskets while earning three rebounds.
 
For Columbia (6-21, 4-15 AAC), BriAna Johnson led all scorers with 24 points while adding six rebounds and three assists. Erica LeBlanc had seven points and 10 rebounds.
 
Milligan's next game will be as the top seed in the AAC tournament quarterfinals, played on Thursday, Feb. 25. The full tournament bracket along with seeding and game times will be released by the AAC. Once the AAC tournament wraps up, Milligan will turn its attention to the NAIA National Championship, scheduled for March 9-15 in Sioux City, Iowa.