MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (February 17, 2007)--- In an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) women’s basketball match-up on Saturday night between Milligan College and Montreat College, the Lady Buffs of Milligan were able to top the Lady Cavaliers with a score of 79-63.

Montreat took the early lead in the first half, but the Lady Buffs consistently swapped baskets as the lead fluctuated between the two squads. However, Milligan would let the Lady Cavaliers’ lead grow until Montreat led by seven points. Milligan’s Rose Pezzimenti (Johnson City, Tenn.) would bring the Lady Buffs back in the game behind back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the score at 23-23 with 4:52 left in the first half of play.

The Lady Cavaliers responded by gaining a small lead, but would be disappointed to go into the half-time break with Milligan on top. Milligan would begin a 7-0 run started by senior Candace Shelton (Flag Pond, Tenn.) with a basket and the assist came from fellow senior Kacie Letterman (Gray, Tenn.) to bring the score to 27-26. Leah Anderson (Lexington, Ky.) would end the half with a 3-pointer in the final seconds to make the score 35-27.   

Milligan kept the momentum in the second half and would lead by as many as 22 points down the stretch.

In their last game at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, Letterman scored 12 points while Shelton added six in the win. Milligan’s Rikki Baughman (Elizabethton, Tenn.) led the team in scoring with 14 points. Kara Monk (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) and Brittany Kilgore (Kingsport, Tenn.) scored 11 and 10, respectively.

Leading the Lady Cavaliers in scoring was Whitney Mace with 17 points. Jonke Stewart-Butler and Shennelle Feather contributed 16 and 12 points to the Montreat cause.

Saturday’s game marked the end of the regular season for both teams. Milligan finished the AAC season with a record of 11-7, good for a fifth place finish in the conference. Montreat takes ninth place with their 3-15 AAC record. Milligan will play Covenant College, the No. 4 seed, Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in the first round of the AAC Tournament. Overall, the Lady Buffs finish 18-12 in the season, while Montreat ends with 4-26.