COLUMBIA, S.C. (Nov. 7, 2018) â€" Senior Andi Lamb made a pair of free throws to force overtime and another pair of free throws with less than 30 seconds left in overtime to help send the Milligan College women's basketball team to a 69-66 overtime victory over Appalachian Athletic Conference foe Columbia International University Wednesday night. Milligan (2-0, 1-0 AAC) overcame a six-point deficit with less than three and a half minutes to go in regulation.
 
Lamb nearly doubled her previous career high in scoring with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. Mackenzie Raizor registered her second double-double in as many games this season with 18 points and 21 rebounds, her 21 rebounds tying the Milligan single-game record.
 
STRONG FINISH
Milligan finished the last three and a half minutes of regulation on a 7-1 run. Raizor had two baskets, including a converted and-one with two and a half minutes to go, before Lamb finished off the fourth-quarter scoring with two clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds.
 
Both teams came away with defensive stands on the final two possessions, although Lamb had a chance to win it at the buzzer in regulation but missed a floater from the top of the key.
 
IN OT
Milligan scored the first three points to jump out to a quick lead, then Sarah Robinson made a key play with an offensive putback with less than two minutes to go to keep Milligan at a three-point lead. Robinson, who battled foul trouble late in the game, finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.
 
Following Robinson's basket, which made it 67-64, CIU scored a two-pointer on its end with less than 30 seconds left, then fouled Lamb to extend the game. Lamb once again knocked down both clutch free throws, and Milligan made one more defensive stop on the other end.
 
SLOW START
Milligan and CIU both scored less than 10 points, 9-8 in favor of CIU, in the opening quarter. This set up a low scoring first half as Milligan led 22-21 at the break. From that point on, CIU dominated until the closing minutes, building as large a lead as eight late in the third quarter and again midway through the fourth quarter.
 
CIU used an 8-0 run in the last two minutes of the third quarter to go up 45-37.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Emma Kate Brown followed Lamb and Raizor in the scoring column with a career high 13. Kaely Gose added six points and 10 rebounds.
 
For CIU, Jordan Sprueill led all scorers with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The Lady Rams lost their first nine games of last season on the way to finishing 7-22 on the year. Wednesday marked their regular season opener, although they were fresh off beating South Carolina Faith A&M College 117-21 in an exhibition matchup last Saturday.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan heads to Asheville, North Carolina, for a nonconference match at Warren Wilson College Saturday at 2 p.m. After that, the Buffs will be home for their next two games, starting with St. Andrews Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. as part of a women's and men's doubleheader at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.