Buffs battle late but fall to Bulldogs
Levontae Knox and David Tripp combined for 40 points and the Milligan University men’s basketball team made a late push to nearly erase an 18-point deficit, but in the end, the Buffaloes fell to Union 84-77 Thursday night at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Union
7-7, 6-6 AAC
|
41 | 43 | 84 |
|
Milligan
5-6, 5-5 AAC
|
29 | 48 | 77 |
Team Stats
Union
| Game Statistics | Union | Milligan |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (28-63) | (29-63) |
| Field Goal % | 44.4% | 46.0% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 31 |
| Assists | 13 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 34 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 26 | 29 |
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Jan. 28, 2021) – Levontae Knox and David Tripp combined for 40 points and the Milligan University men's basketball team made a late push to nearly erase an 18-point deficit, but in the end, the Buffaloes fell to Union 84-77 Thursday night at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
Knox scored a career high 22 while Tripp scored 18 to mark his 10th game in 11 this season he scored at least 17. Milligan trailed by as many as 14 in the second half before bringing it within five in the closing minutes.
Milligan's second-half surge not enough
A 15-6 Milligan run early in the second half helped the Buffaloes (5-6, 5-5 Appalachian Athletic Conference) create an exciting finish. Trevor Hensley and Jackson Gabriel both hit big 3-pointers during the stretch, Hensley cutting the deficit to single digits for the first time in the second half.
After Union (7-7, 6-6 AAC) took the lead back out to 13, Milligan again answered with a 7-2 run that made it another five-point game. It would be as close as the Buffaloes would get, although they did so on three occasions over the last three minutes.
Gabriel hit another big 3-pointer with under 40 seconds to go to make it 80-75, but it would mark the last time Milligan would get that close. Union scored the next four points to help seal the win.
In the box score
Hensley followed Knox and Tripp in double figures for scoring with 13 points and six rebounds. Alex Chambers scored a career high of seven points, and Alex Inman registered a career high of six points. Gabriel scored six, with all his points coming from the perimeter.
Adam Graham led the Buffs in the rebounding effort with a career high eight. Hensley added six rebounds.
For Union, Markelle Turner led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting. He also tallied a game-high tying eight rebounds along with Graham and one other Bulldog. Two other Union players scored double digits but none more than 13.
Up next
Milligan travels to Waleska, Georgia, Friday for an AAC game against Reinhardt. It will close the book on January for the Buffaloes and open the door for February, set to include eight more scheduled games and the AAC tournament.