MILLIGAN, Tenn. – On Saturday afternoon, the Milligan University women's basketball team went head-to-head with another top-25 program within the NAIA on their home floor. The No. 20-ranked University of Rio Grande (Ohio) RedStorm battled the Lady Buffs on the hardwood and showed why they are nationally recognized, handing the Buffaloes a 20-point loss, 95-75.

Milligan played an inspired first quarter, in which they stayed tight with Rio Grande, notching an 18-point period while only allowing 19 points to trail by just one entering the second. The shooting percentages were heavily in the RedStorm's favor, as they nailed 8-of-16 from the field and the Buffaloes made just 7-of-18, but extra opportunities for Milligan on four offensive boards helped them stay in the contest early.

Quarter number two followed a very similar pattern, until a vicious 10-0 run was built by Rio Grande over the final 2:26 of the period. A 35-34 MU deficit turned into a 45-34 hill to climb in the second half for the Lady Buffs. The numbers looked more skewed in the frame, as Rio drilled 11-of-20 in the period and went 3-of-8 from deep, with two of those coming during the 10-0 run. Milligan only made 6-of-16 in the period to score 16 points, compared to URG's 26.

Milligan stayed with the RedStorm much better in the third, outshooting them in terms of percentage in the frame. The Buffs hit 10-of-18 from the field, which was their top output of the bout by a wide margin. They did much of their scoring inside, as they attempted just two three-point shots and made one. Rio Grande shot 9-of-19, which was still a respectable mark, however they were potent from distance, hitting four of their six tries from beyond the arc to outscore MU 24-22 in the period and extend their lead to 69-56.

There was no stopping URG in the fourth, as a 10-of-16 mark from the field made it impossible for the Lady Buffs to mount any sort of comeback. Milligan went 8-of-20 from the field to score 19 points, but they eventually fell by a score of 95-75 to the No. 20-ranked squad in the land.

Lina Lyon continues to score the ball well, notching 18 points on an uber-efficient 9-of-13 shooting line. Semaj Clark's 17 points were the second-best total for a Lady Buff in the bout. She was also efficient, knocking down 7-of-12. Makenzie Bremer had her most prolific game of her opening season with the Buffaloes, scoring 15 points on a 5-of-10 clip from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Also in double figures in the matchup was Naomi Atchley, who scored 11 on a 4-of-9 shooting day.

A quartet of players led the way for Milligan in assists, with Lyon, Clark, McKenna Myers and Kenzie Campbell all recording four of them. Atchley and Caroline Krueger added two apiece to close out MU's list of 20 dimes.

Rebounding was tight between the two sides, as a 39-38 margin ended up in the RedStorm's favor. Milligan's top rebounder was Bremer, with eight, while Campbell had the second-highest mark of five. Both Clark and Krueger hauled in four, and Myers nabbed three, while all three other Buffaloes who saw minutes collected two (Lyon, Atchley, Lexi Ervin).

Milligan recorded five steals in the contest as well as one blocked shot. Krueger led the way, posting two of the thefts and the lone rejection. Lyon provided two steals and Campbell took the other.

It will be another home battle up next on the schedule for the Lady Buffs (2-4, 1-0 AAC), as they match up with the Bluefield University (Va.) Rams in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m.