Buffs fall to Division I Austin Peay University 98-55

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (December 5, 2021) — The Milligan University men's basketball team fell to NCAA Division I Austin Peay University 98-55 in a visiting exhibition matchup on Sunday afternoon.

Austin Peay began the game on a 16-2 run over the first five minutes of action. The Governors knocked down four consecutive triples during the stretch in which three of them came off Milligan turnovers. The Buffs answered with a 9-0 run converting on three three-point attempts in the span of a minute and a half to cut the lead down to 23-15 with ten and a half minutes to play in the first half.

Austin Peay extended their lead to 17 points with just under 30 seconds remaining before Levontae Knox cashed in on a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Governors lead to 14 going into the break. Both teams shot the ball well over the course of the first twenty minutes with Austin Peay finishing at 59 percent on 19-of-32 from the floor and Milligan 54 percent on 15-of-28 from the floor.

The Governors continued their efficiency shooting the basketball climbing out to a quick 19-2 run in the first six minutes of the second half. Thirteen Milligan turnovers in the second half led to 21 points for Austin Peay as the Governors outscored the Buffs 48-19 in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Sami Sanad led the Buffs on offense with 17 points on seven-for-nine from the field and was one-for-two from behind the arc. Jackson Gabriel was the second leading scorer for Milligan chipping in ten pints on 4-of-12 shooting and two-for-nine from three-point range.
Josh Thomas came very close to recording a double-double finishing with eight points on 3-of-11 from the floor to go along with eight rebounds. Levontae Knox also had a productive game for the Buffs, especially on the defensive end, picking up three steals in the contest.

Milligan ends their streak of six consecutive road games and will return to Steve Lacy Fieldhouse this Saturday to face off against Point University at 4:00 p.m.