Lady Buffs put to test in final seconds against Union

Milligan College, Tenn. (Jan. 15, 2008) – The Milligan women's basketball team faced a tough challenge against conference foe Union College. The game was decided with 4.2 seconds on the clock and counting. Rikki Baughman hit the game winning shot to hoist the Lady Buffs over Union 81-80.

The Lady Buffs performed strong in the first half leading by one point going into the second half, 46-45. Local star Rikki Baughman (Elizabethton, Tenn.) led the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds. It was Baughman's last offensive rebound that counted the most, as she hit the game winning shot.

“I had no idea that I had beat the clock, all I knew is that Union was covering Heather really hard and I had to step up,” said Baughman about the winning moment.

The second leading scorer for the Lady Buffs was junior Leah Anderson (Lexington, Ky.) with 15 points. Anderson was 50% behind the arc, as she made 5 of the 10 three point shots she attempted. Brittany Kilgore (Kingsport, Tenn.) also stepped up big for the Lady Buffs as she hit two key three pointers to lift the Lady Buffs. Kilgore finished with 12 points and had three steals to lead the Lady Buffs. The final player to have double figures in points was freshman standout Heather Mandela (Fairfax, Va.) who finished with 10 points.

“All of us played hard and wanted to win,” commented Baughman.

“We had to outscore them (Union) in the first half if we wanted to be in the game,” stated Head Coach Rich Aubrey. “Union is a tough team to defeat because they have five talented players on the court all the time, and this win only makes every game following bigger to play.”

The Lady Buffs now turn their attention to UVA-Wise, another conference challenger. The game will be played at Wise, Va. Game time is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 19