Buffs fall to Union 78-60

Barbourville, KY (February 10, 2022) — The Milligan University men's basketball team fell to Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent Union College 78-60 Thursday evening in a visiting matchup with the Bulldogs. 

Milligan drops to 5-18 (4-16 AAC) after the loss while Union climbs to 17-8 (15-4 AAC) with the win.

After falling behind by seven points (15-8) through the first six minutes of the game, the Buffs responded with a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to one point (15-14). Union extended their lead to eight points (34-26) with just under two minutes to play, but the Buffs closed the half with three consecutive stops on the defensive end. Milligan also converted on both of their final possessions to cut the Union lead down to four (34-30) at the break.

Through the first 20 minutes, Piripi Korent led the Buffs in scoring with 11 points on five-of-nine shooting while knocking down his only three-point attempt of the half. The Buffs shot 45 percent on 13 made baskets compared to 36 percent from the Bulldogs. Union won the rebounding battle in the first half pulling down 21 rebounds with nine coming on the offensive end. Milligan, on the other hand, grabbed 16 rebounds with Korent, Sami Sanad, and Finn McClure all tied with three apiece.

Milligan stayed within striking distance through the first four minutes of the second half, trimming the Bulldogs lead down to one possession (40-37). Over the next six minutes, Union knocked down four triples in the midst of a 20-9 run extending their lead to 14 (60-46). The Bulldogs largest lead came at the 1:44 mark of the second half going up by 22 points (76-54). The Buffs scored six of the final eight points of the game to trim the margin to 18 by the final buzzer (78-60),

Korent finished with a team-high 14 points on six-of-13 shooting from the field. Sanad finished second in scoring with 13 points on four-of-seven shooting  from the field in addition to grabbing a team-high four rebounds on the night. Finn McClure added 11 points on five-of-eight from the field. Alex Inman led the Buffs in assists dishing out six for the game.

Milligan ended the night shooting 44 percent on 23-of-52 from the floor and converted three of their eight three-pointers. Union finished with a plus-12 advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Buffs 44-32. Milligan outscored Union in the paint 34-30 while also making 11 free throws compared to just three for the Bulldogs.

The Buffs will be back in action Saturday afternoon when they take on Montreat at 4:00 p.m in Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.