AAC Tourney Championship Achieved by Milligan Men's Hoops for First Time in Program History over Johnson

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The Milligan University men's basketball team did battle against the Johnson University Royals on Saturday afternoon with the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament title on the line, in addition to an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships. After Johnson led for all but the last minute-and-a-half of the second half, the Buffs nabbed their first AAC title in program history with a 67-64 win over the Royals. Milligan's previous conference titles came in 1998-99 in the TVAC regular season and tournament.

The opening half of the contest was a tight one, as both Johnson and Milligan were basically trading baskets up until the 1:27 mark, when Johnson scored seven of the last nine points to enter the intermission with a 40-35 lead. Milligan shot the orange at a 13-of-31 rate, while hitting only two shots from long range. The Royals' 14-of-30 clip included three makes from distance,

The late stages of half number two is where the Buffaloes made their move, as the Buffs trailed by eight points with 11:13 left to play. From that point on, they outscored Johnson by a 19-8 margin, earning their first AAC title in the 25 years of the conference's existence. The Royals only hit nine field goals in the second half on 23 attempts, as they struggled to be consistent. The Buffs countered with a 11-of-23 half to snatch the win from the jaws of defeat.

For McCaskill Rivers, it was an impressive day from the floor, as he scored 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. With his effort, he earned tournament MVP honors. Elijah Bredwood was the only other player to reach double-digits in scoring with 11 points in the triumph. He was also named to the all-tournament team.

Rivers had a team-best seven assists in the contest, as well, while accounting for more than half of the team's dimes. Sam Gold had three, while the trio of Finn McClure, Bredwood and Flynn Carlson each had one.

Gold and Rivers tied atop the roster in rebounds with seven apiece. Just behind them was Handje Tamba (all-tournament team) and Jayme Peay with six each. McClure added five, Bredwood supplied three and Carlson and Luke Lentz hauled in the final two.

Peay, Tamba and Bredwood all racked up single steals in the victory, while the only blocked shot of the game for Milligan came via Gold.

Looking ahead, the Buffaloes earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship with their AAC Tournament Championship. They will learn where they will be heading for their First and Second Round tilts on Mar. 14-15 via the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Selection Show on Thursday, Mar. 6 at 8 p.m. ET.