PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Wednesday night's Milligan women's basketball contest took place in Pikeville, Ky., where the Buffaloes did battle with the Bears of the University of Pikeville. The squads came in as two of the three remaining undefeated squads in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. In what was a defensive donnybrook, the Buffs eventually came out on top 60-57 to remain unbeaten in conference tilts.

The opening quarter consisted of a combined 10 field goals, with each squad notching five. The difference in the period was that the Buffs knocked down two three-point jumpers and the host Bears drained none. A tight 14-12 lead was held by Milligan entering the second.

Prior to the half, the two sides continued their war of attrition, as an identical field-goal conversion count took place in the second frame. Both sides made five shots in the period and shot below 50%. Another similarity in the period was the 2-0 edge on made three-point shots by Milligan. A 5-2 advantage in free throws made by the Lady Buffs helped extend the lead to 31-24 at the intermission.

Incredibly, the penultimate period of the bout included more of the same, as the two teams evenly combined to knock down 10 shot attempts for the third quarter in a row with shooting lines well under 50%. The quarter ended up 13-12 in the favor of MU. With one quarter to play, the Buffaloes led by eight, 44-36.

Milligan allowed UPIKE to remain in the game for too long, as the Bears came all the way back to tie the score at 53-53 with just over a minute left to be played. Luckily for the Buffs, Kenzie Campbell came up clutch on the following possession with a huge three-point jumper at the conclusion of the shot clock with 34.8 seconds left on the game clock. The Lady Buffs played out the final half-minute by going a perfect 4-of-4 at the free-throw line, but did turn the ball over to the Bears with just over five seconds left. The home squad would then attempt a shot from beyond the arc that was blocked as the buzzer sounded on a hard-fought 60-57 MU victory.

In a game that was an offensive nightmare, the big difference was the Buffaloes' ability to hit seven threes, compared to zero from UPIKE. Only two Buffaloes were in double figures in scoring, as McKenna Myers (16) and Semaj Clark (14) took those honors. They each shot 5-of-15 from the field.

Milligan racked up 14 assists, with Lina Lyon holding the title for most on the squad, tallying five. Clark and Campbell dished out three apiece, while Myers had two and Caroline Krueger added the remaining assist.

A sizable advantage of 50-37 in rebounds was held in the contest by the visiting Buffs. Both Clark and Campbell brought in nine backboards to tie for the team lead. Krueger hauled in eight, and Callie Reeder collected five. Makenzie Bremer and Lyon both nabbed three off the glass, and both Myers and Lexi Ervin snagged two. The final rebound was grabbed by Nina Lovelace.

The Lady Buffs only had two steals and two blocks, though they forced nine Pikeville turnovers. Clark had one of each, while Campbell added a steal and Bremer tallied the rejection.

It is a huge win for the Buffaloes (7-4, 6-0 AAC), as they fought through their toughest shooting day of the season to remain undefeated in AAC contests this season. The next stop on the road spell for the Buffs is at Montreat College in Montreat, N.C., where Milligan will face the Cavaliers at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13.