Tripp drops 25 as Buffs drop Knights

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Feb. 4, 2021) – David Tripp scored 25 points and Matt Cole provided a nice second-half defensive spark to lead the Milligan University men's basketball team to an 83-63 senior-day win over Kentucky Christian Thursday evening inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

The Buffaloes (7-6, 7-5 Appalachian Athletic Conference) swept the season against KCU after winning 91-84 on the road last December. It also marked their fourth win in the last six games.

12 Buffs in scoring column in big AAC win

Tripp was the first of a dozen Buffs in the scoring column, and he scored his 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting. He added six rebounds with three assists. Trevor Hensley scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting while adding four assists and three steals. Tyler Faulkenberry registered a game-high and career-high 12 rebounds to go with nine points. Cole followed next in the scoring column with seven points and a career-high six blocked shots.

Several of Cole's blocks came in the second half when Kentucky Christian looked to be mounting a comeback. He had one after KCU had cut Milligan's lead to seven early in the second half, then another four in a stretch of two minutes late in the game.

Milligan trailed on only four possessions and took the lead for good on a 16-6 run midway through the first half. KCU then trimmed the deficit to six at the break but another run of 11-4 to start the second half gave the Buffaloes plenty of cushion the rest of the way.

The stretch featuring Cole's four blocks in under two minutes saw Milligan go on an 11-3 run to extend the lead out to 20 points, and they would eventually go ahead by as many as 22 in the closing minutes.

Notable facts

In addition to Faulkenberry's career high 12 rebounds and Cole's career high six blocks, Finn McClure posted a career high four steals while Julian Wilson scored a career high five points.

Tripp's 25 points marked the 11th time in 12 games that he scored 17 or more.

For KCU, two players scored double figures: Kurt Hall with 15 points and Cole Gilliland with 14 points.

Up next

The Buffaloes heads to Point on Saturday before returning home for their penultimate home game of the season, hosting Truett McConnell on Tuesday. Home games this season can be followed online through milliganbuffs.com.