PIKEVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 29, 2018) â€" Mackenzie Raizor registered her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but the No. 23 Milligan College women's basketball team closed out the 2018 portion of its season with a 74-68 loss at University of Pikeville Saturday.
 
The loss was Milligan's (9-2, 7-0 AAC) second straight after opening the season 9-0 but came against a tough Pikeville (10-4) squad. Pikeville, an NAIA Division I member, recently capped a four-game winning streak with a win over NAIA D-I No. 15 Talladega.
 
CLOSE CONTEST DECIDED IN CLOSING MINUTES
The game was close the whole way, down to the two-and-a-half-minute mark of the fourth quarter when Pikeville used a 7-0 run to build the largest lead of the game for either team at 71-63. The run lasted for a little over one minute, and was enough to hold on despite a 4-0 Milligan run that cut it to 72-68 with less than 20 seconds left.
 
In all, the game featured eight ties and 13 lead changes. Milligan held its largest lead of five in the first quarter and its last lead, 46-45, late in the third quarter.
 
RAIZOR ONE OF THREE BUFFS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Emily Kiser followed Raizor in the scoring column with 15 points off the bench. Andi Lamb scored 10.
 
Six other Buffs made at least one field goal, including Emma Kate Brown who scored eight points and Kaely Gose who scored four points and added eight rebounds.
 
FOR PIKEVILLE
Brianna Burbridge led the way with 14 points off the bench. Emily Baker had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Milligan held Mary Englert, one of the nation's top 3-point shooters, to 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting. She was 0-for-2 from three.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan plays twice on the road next week before returning home to Steve Lacy Fieldhouse Tuesday, Jan. 8, for a conference matchup against Brenau (5-7, 3-6 AAC). It will be the first of five straight home games for the Buffs.