Strong second half soars Buffs over Bulldogs

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Jan. 22, 2020) – After a slow starting first half the Milligan College men's basketball team was able to dominate the visiting Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs in the second half to secure a 70-66 victory Wednesday night inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

The momentum changing second half

Milligan trailed for the entire first half, and almost six minutes in the second before a dunk by senior Mike Featherston tied the game and turned the momentum over in Milligan's favor. The game was tied for a little over a minute before senior Jacob Cawood drew a foul and was sent to the foul line where he would score the go ahead shot to put the Buffs up 47-46 and into the lead where they would remain the rest of the game.

Trevor Hensley would help put some distance in their lead with a 3-pointer with under 11 minutes left of play. After Henlsey's three the Buffs went on a 12-6 run, with six of the 12 points from Desean Green. Milligan would then finish the night on top despite a late 10-4 run by the Bulldogs.

By the numbers

Both teams fell cold during periods of the game with Milligan going 13-for-33 in field goals in the first half and Tennessee Wesleyan going 11-for-38 in field goals in the second half. Both teams struggled behind the three-point arch with the Bulldogs shooting a .304, going 1-for-11 in the second half, and Milligan shooting a .321. Milligan was able to come back from their first half slump and overpower the Bulldogs in the second half.

Green and Featherston both had career highs tonight with 13 and 16 rebounds respectively. Green finished the night with his second double-double of the season adding on 13 points. Green also had seven assists to finish his night off. His previous career high in rebounds was 11 which he obtained last week against Kentucky Christian.  Featherston surpassed his previously set career high of 14 rebounds that he set earlier this season. He added on six points, two assists and four blocks to finish his game line.

Along with Green, two other Buffs made it into double-digit scoring. Tyler Nichols, first game back from injury had a team high of 15 points and Cawood finished with 11 points. Both Bo Pless and Nathan Hastings finished the night with nine points, Hastings adding six rebounds as well.

Up next

With Wednesday's win, Milligan's record advances to 12-7 (10-5 AAC). The Buffs are now in third in the Appalachian Athletic Conference standings and are one game out of first place behind Union and Montreat who are tied for first.  

Milligan is on the road for two AAC games this upcoming week before returning home to Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. The Buffs travel to Truett McConnell on Saturday, Jan. 25, then to Montreat College on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Milligan returns home on Jan. 30, for a non-conference matchup against Johnson University.