SIOUX CITY, Iowa (March 9, 2016) â€" Freshman Sarah Robinson scored 18 points and senior Allison Jones added 11, but the No. 24 Milligan College women's basketball team fell short to No. 9 Marian College, 76-59, in the opening round of the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Wednesday night.
 
Milligan's season ended with a record of 23-8 (17-3 AAC), and it marked the second time in the last four years Head Coach Rich Aubrey's team won the Appalachian Athletic Conference and earned a trip to the national tournament. In his tenure, Aubrey has taken the Buffs to the national championship six times, including a span of four straight trips from 1997 to 2000.
 
Aubrey's 2015-16 Buffs looked good early, taking a lead of 6-2 through the first four minutes, but Marian responded with a 6-0 run and never trailed from that point forward. The Knights went on a 10-0 run later in the first quarter to go ahead 19-9 before extending their lead to as many as 16 through the opening 20 minutes.
 
Milligan cut the deficit down to as few as 11 thanks to a 9-0 run that ended with a Kelly Barnett fast-break bucket with just under five minutes left in regulation. From there, Marian answered with the next seven points and kept to close to 15 the rest of the way.
 
As a team, Milligan shot 21-for-58 (36.2%) from the field, including 5-for-18 (27.8%) from the perimeter. Marian shot 29-of-62 (46.8%) from the field and 5-for-14 (35.7%) from outside. Marian also outrebounded Milligan 48-35.
 
Behind Robinson and Jones, Courtney Wilson was next in the Buffs' scoring column with seven points and six rebounds. Callie Cox scored six points, Lindsee Price five, and Barnett, Andi Lamb and Morgan Gose had four apiece.
 
Robinson, the AAC Freshman of the Year and a member of the All-Conference first team, added nine rebounds, one shy of what would have been her 14th double-double of the season. She scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half.
 
Jones, an All-Conference first team selection as well, had a big first half, scoring nine and gathering six rebounds before the intermission.
 
For Marian, Lakan Hasser-Smith led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting. She added seven rebounds and an assist. Two other Knights reached double figures as Kellie Kirkhoff scored 15 and Jessica Almeida scored 10.