MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (January 25, 2007)—Milligan College’s Lady Buffs basketball team rolled to a 67-45 victory over the Lady Crusaders of Tennessee Temple University in a non-conference tilt on Thursday night. The win improves the Lady Buffs’ record to 12-9 overall, while Tennessee Temple’s record will go to 9-13 overall.

Starting things out for Milligan was senior Kacie Letterman (Gray, Tenn.), who nailed a trey just nine seconds into the game. The Lady Buffs would continue to build their lead until, after five minutes of play, the Lady Crusaders scored their first points of the game, bringing the score to 8-2. Milligan’s lead would continue to grow, but Tennessee Temple’s squad was able to cut the Lady Buffs’ lead to 12 points, making the score 26-14 after a field goal from Mary Lovett. The Lady Buffs proceeded to go on an 8-0 scoring run capped off after Rikki Baughman (Elizabethton, Tenn.) finished a 3-point play with a free throw to make the score 34-14. Lovett then led a Lady Crusader charge with seven points over the final four minutes to trim the Milligan lead down to 38-23 going into half time.

The second half for the Lady Buffs would be a familiar story, as they would maintain their considerable lead throughout the remaining minutes of play. Tennessee Temple’s best efforts would not be enough, as they were only able to cut Milligan’s lead by 12 points. Milligan pulled away in the final minutes of play and extended their lead to hold on for the 67-45 victory 

Baughman lead the Lady Buffs, with a game-high 12 points to go along with her seven rebounds and a career-high six steals. Letterman and Brittany Kilgore (Kingsport, Tenn.) scored nine points apiece, while Kara Monk (Oliver Springs, Tenn.) and Hali Sparks (Erwin, Tenn.) contributed eight points each.

Lovett was the leading scorer for the Tennessee Temple with her 12 points.

Milligan will host their rival, King College, Saturday night in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) clash. Milligan brings their 6-5 AAC record to the battle, while King boasts a 9-2 record in the conference. The Lady Buffs came back for a 67-60 win against King in their earlier match-up back in December.