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INDIANAPOLIS — The No. 11-seeded Milligan University women’s basketball team took on the No. 6-seeded Oregon Tech Owls in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament. It was a see-saw contest, but the Lady Buffs used a 31-point fourth period to grab an 83-74 win and move on to take on the No. 3-seeded Knights of Marian.

The opening quarter saw the Owls jump out to an early lead, going up by double digits before the Buffs closed the Owls’ lead to nine points going into the second frame. The Lady Buffs grabbed a 39-37 lead in the final minutes, but the Owls rallied, hitting a layup and making a couple of free throws to preserve a three-point lead going into the locker room.

The second half saw Milligan clamp down defensively, holding the Owls to just 38% shooting. The Owls still nursed a slight lead for much of the third period. Semaj Clark hit a layup to give the Buffs a lead at the 1:47 mark, 51-50. The Owls responded with a short jumper in the final seconds of the third to hold a slim 54-52 lead going into the final period.

Former Cyclone Lina Lyon connected on a shot in the paint to give the Lady Buffs a 65-60 lead with a little over six minutes left. Milligan’s Kenzie Campbell pushed the lead to eight with 4:13 left, and the Lady Buffs connected on their free throws in the final minutes to secure the nine-point win. Defensively, Milligan had a plus-9 advantage in turnovers.

Jaycie Jenkins scored 33 points, including going 7-for-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth period. Clark added 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while McKenna Myers chipped in 10 points.

Saturday’s tipoff will be at 6 p.m. with a trip to the round of 16 in Sioux City, Iowa, up for grabs.