MILLIGAN, Tenn. — On Wednesday evening, the Milligan University women's basketball squad put their perfect 12-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) record on the line against the University of Pikeville (Ky.) Bears on Smith-Harris Court inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. Unfortunately for the Buffs, their conference winning streak came to an end against UPIKE by a final of 72-64.

Following a 6-2 start to the contest in favor of the Buffaloes, Pikeville stormed back with a 7-2 run to take the lead at 9-8. Then, though, Milligan scored five straight before the first media timeout. That gave them a 13-9 edge, but another UPIKE run put the Bears up 18-16 with a 9-3 outburst. The back-and-forth period continued for the remainder, as MU and the Bears traded leads until a 22-21 score was reached at the conclusion of the period in favor of the visitors. Both teams had scorching hot first frames from the field, at 50% or better. The Lady Buffs came in at 8-of-16 with a trio of three-point jumpers made. On the other end, a 10-of-16 quarter, including a perfect 2-of-2 clip from distance, gave the Bears their one-point lead.

Only four points were tallied in the first four minutes of the period, but they all were from UPIKE, giving them a 26-21 lead with six minutes left in the half. The Buffs scored four of the next six points, working their way back to a 28-25 deficit at the media timeout with 4:25 to go. Only 11 more points were tallied in the half, with the Bears nabbing seven of those to finish with a 35-29 lead over the Lady Buffs at the intermission. Milligan had a dismal quarter offensively, shooting at just 4-of-18 for eight total points. They could not convert a long-distance shot either, going 0-for-5 from deep. Pikeville was not much stronger, shooting just 6-of-17 in the period for 13 points. Similar to MU, the Bears went just 1-of-4 from beyond the arc in the frame.

Nine straight points for the Buffs out of the break put them back on top in the battle, as they spent the first 2:39 of the period earning their new 38-35 lead. That did not deter UPIKE, however, as they rattled off six of the next eight points to regain the edge at 41-40 at the 4:53 media timeout. Milligan capped off the quarter with a 12-8 stretch in their favor, putting them ahead by three points at 52-49 entering the fourth period. It was a great response offensively by MU in the third, as they put forth a 9-of-18 clip from the field, though they did not hit a three. Pikeville shot the ball well, too, hitting on 6-of-13 and going 1-of-5 from long range.

The first five minutes and change of the fourth frame played squarely in favor of the visiting Bears, as they put up a 9-4 run to retake the lead at 58-56 at the first timeout of the quarter. Pikeville maintained the pressure on the Lady Buffs, extending the lead to four points at 66-62 with 2:04 to play, leading to a Milligan timeout. The Bears stifled Milligan late, using the clock on offense and converting late in possessions, while erasing MU attempts with strong defense. It was a callback to the second period for the Buffaloes, who shot the orange at just 5-of-19 in the quarter, dooming their attempt to remain unbeaten in the AAC. They also only hit 2-of-9 from distance. The Bears took advantage of the down period from Milligan, converting on 9-of-14 from the field and went 1-of-2 from beyond the arc.

Semaj Clark stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 14 points to lead the squad, though she shot at just 6-of-15 for the contest. Kenzie Campbell also put up double-digit points, scoring 11 on a 4-of-9 rate.

Clark compiled eight assists in the loss, and she was followed by Lina Lyon, who dished out four. Campbell and Callie Reeder racked up two apiece, while McKenna Myers, Makenzie Bremer and Naomi Atchley recorded the remaining three.

Clark and Reeder teamed up to evenly split 12 rebounds in the contest, which led the squad. Campbell hauled in five, and both Myers and Lyon snatched four. Caroline Krueger and Lexi Ervin grabbed a trio of backboards each, with Atchley retrieving two and Bremer getting one.

It was also a strong effort from Clark defensively, as she totaled three steals and a block in the tilt. Bremer concluded with a steal and a block, while Krueger also rejected a UPIKE shot.

The Buffaloes (13-7, 12-1 AAC) have now finally been felled in the conference, and they will look to put this contest behind them on Wednesday, Jan. 28 against the Montreat College (N.C.) Cavaliers inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. The team had previously been scheduled for a contest this Saturday at home against Reinhardt (Ga.), but projected weather forecasts have postponed that game until Feb. 16.