Men’s Basketball overcomes 22 point deficit but falls late at Bluefield

BLUEFIELD, Va. (November 23, 2021) – The Milligan University men's basketball battled all the way back from a 22-point first half deficit to take a four-point lead in the final minutes of regulation, but fell 80-68 at Bluefield on Tuesday evening.

The Buffs nearly snagged their first win of the season but fall to 0-7 overall and 0-6 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Bluefield moves to 5-2 overall and in AAC action.

Bluefield used an early 17-4 run to build a double-digit lead that stretch to as many as 22 points (32-10) in the game's first 12 minutes.

The Buffs rattled off 10 of the next 12 points and began chipping away as the first half wound down. A Sami Sanad's layup with 2:43 left in the half were the final points of the period as Milligan got back within single digits (38-29 at the break).

A pair of three-pointers by Josh Thomas powered a 10-0 spurt to begin the second half and help Milligan take a 39-38 lead. The Rams responded with a 12-4 run to give Bluefield a 50-43 advantage with 14 minutes to play in regulation and led by as many as nine points (53-44) after regaining the lead.

However, Milligan would rally again with eight-straight points, six of which came from the free throw stripe, to tie the game at 58 with 5:22 to play.

Jackson Gabriel drilled a three with 4:22 left to give Milligan a 61-59 lead. Levontae Knox added a pair of free throws to push the Buffs' advantage to four (63-59) with four minutes to play.

The Rams responded by scoring the next nine points to take a 68-63 lead with two-and-a-half minutes to play. The Buffs got back within a possession with two minutes to go after a pair of free throws by Piripi Korent, but Bluefield knocked down 10 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the game.

Gabriel led the Buffs with 15 points and had seven rebounds. Sanad had 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. Korent recorded 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Thomas scored nine points and had five rebounds.

Bluefield's Trent Dunn and Jermiah Jenkins combined for 50 points on the night.

The Buffs outrebounded Bluefield 40-28 but otherwise team statistics were relatively even. Mililgan shot 40 percent from the field while Bluefield shot 39percent. The Buffs shot seven-of-24 from three while Bluefield was eight-of-22. Bluefield's free throws in the final minute gave the Rams a 24-18 edge in free throw attempts on the night.

Men's basketball heads to NCAA Division I Mercer on Saturday afternoon.