Lady Buffs hold on to first place in AAC standings as Milligan teams sweep Montreat

Published 12:33 pm Friday, January 31, 2025

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By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

Milligan University basketball teams both sit near the top of the Appalachian Athletic Conference going into this week. Their game Wednesday night against the Montreat Cavaliers teams would be a stiff challenge for both squads, as Montreat is also hovering near the top of the AAC standings.

Women’s – Milligan 109 (16-4, 14-2), Montreat 78

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The Lady Buffs pushed their conference win streak out to 12 games in a dominating win over the Lady Cavs. Simply put, they scored often, and it seemed for most of the night at will, jumping out to an early 33-24 lead. But the first period just offered a peek at the offensive onslaught the Lady Buffs would unleash in the second period.

Former Elizabethton standout Lina Lyon came up with a steal and then fed a crossing Semaj Clark for a layup, and the deluge began as the Lady Buffs hit six three-pointers in the period, outscoring the Lady Cavs 32-5 and going into the break up 65-29. It was a first half where the Lady Buffs were simply on fire, shooting 66% from the field.

The second half saw Milligan women’s coach Kylie Greer empty her bench and get her backups valuable minutes. Although the Lady Cavs played more competitive periods, they never mounted a rally that could be deemed a threat. Lauren Longmire led the Buffs with 18 points, while Lyon finished the contest with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting.

The win allowed the Lady Buffs to hold onto a 2 ½-game lead in the AAC standings with five games remaining. Postgame, Coach Greer reflected on her team’s chemistry in the win. “All credit to the team, I can’t game plan or strategize that. Our team always looks to create for one another. When you do that, you’re going to get better shots. Shooting over 60% as a team comes from unselfish play,” Greer said.

Men’s – Milligan 99 (14-7, 8-5), Montreat 82 (14-8, 10-5)

Not to be outdone by their counterparts, the men put on their own shooting display. The first half saw the Buffs hit an eye-popping seven three-pointers and knock down shots at a 58% clip from the field while holding the Cavs to just 35%. They pushed their advantage to 15 points in the first half when Luke Lentz powered past two defenders for a layup, making the score 32-17 at the 7:15 mark. The Cavs tried to battle back, cutting the lead down to nine, but Lentz hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds left, pushing the Buffs’ lead back to 12 going into the locker room.

As good as the first half was for the Buffs, they were just getting warmed up, shooting a blistering 22-of-30 from the field in the second half. Handje Tambe hit a long jumper to push the Buffs’ lead to 18 points midway through the final half. The Cavs cut the lead to 10 points on two occasions, only to see Milligan respond with runs of its own to keep Montreat at bay.

Defensively, the Buffs recorded 10 blocks and outrebounded the Cavs 37-27. McCaskill Rivers posted a career-high 30 points in the victory, while Finn McClure scored 16 and Sam Gold chipped in 13.

Milligan moved into fifth place in the AAC standings with the win, just two wins back in the loss column behind Bryan.

Both teams will host CIU on Saturday, with the women starting at 2 p.m. at Lacy Fieldhouse.

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