HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College women's basketball team struggled to shoot the ball Tuesday against the Milligan JV team and suffered its first setback of the season in a 72-62 loss at the Tarlton Complex.

Milligan made six 3-pointers in the first quarter, powering its way to an early 31-16 lead in the contest.

Attempting to rebound by halftime, CVCC (1-1) shot just 5.3 percent (1-for-19) from the field in the second quarter, and the Red Hawks trailed 41-20 at the break.

Catawba Valley bounced back in the second half, cutting its deficit to just seven points with 5:02 left in the contest. CVCC outscored Milligan 42-31 in the half, but that effort wasn't enough to overcome its early shooting trouble.

A trio of Red Hawks — starters Shaniya Lester and Tanisha Wall and reserve Zharia Brown — each scored 15 points to lead CVCC in Tuesday's contest. Brown was the only bench player to score for the Red Hawks in Tuesday's game.

Teal Davis paced Milligan with a game-high 16 points — one of four Buffs to reach double digits in the contest, including Megan Pietrowski (13 points), Emma Kate Brown (12) and Lauren Baxter (10).

CVCC returns to action on Friday, opening up conference play at home against Brunswick Community College at the Tarlton Complex. Tip off is set for 5 p.m.