Men’s Basketball season ends in AAC Tournament at Truett McConnell

CLEVELAND, Ga. (February 21, 2022) – The Milligan University men's basketball team ended its season in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament's first round as the Buffs fell to fifth-seeded Truett McConnell 81-73.

Milligan concludes its season at 6-22 as Truett McConnell advances to the AAC quarterfinals at 19-11.

The first five minutes of action saw TMU score of the first five points of the game and Milligan respond to tie the game at six and then score on four-straight offensive trips to lead 16-13 with 13:54 to play in the first half. The Buffs stayed a step ahead of Truett McConnell for the next five minutes of game time.

The Bears took a 31-29 lead with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the half, btu Flynn Carlson immediately tied the game at 31. TMU went ahead 34-31, but Finn McClure drained a three to tie the game with six minutes remaining in the half. The Bears scored the next seven points and led by nine (45-36) with two minutes to play in the half. Levontae Knox scored the final four points of the half with a layup and dunk to make it a five-point game (45-40) at the halftime break.

Two minutes into the second half, TMU extended its lead to double-digits (52-42). The Bears led by as many as 12 (59-47), but the Buffs quickly worked to keep its deficit at single digits. A McClure three-pointer punctuated a five-point spurt for the Buffs to trim the margin to 62-57 with 10:33 to play in the half. With nine minutes to play, Milligan still remaining in striking distance down five (64-59).

After TMU built its lead to 70-61, a free throw from Sami Sanad and layup by Knox made it a six-point game (70-64) with four minutes left. Josh Thomas scored the first basket after a timeout by coach Bill Robinson to make it a 70-66 game, but Truett McConnell's Raul Arias-Ortega responded with a four-point play with a made three and a free throw with 2:15 remaining in regulation.

TMU led 77-67 with 27 seconds left in the game, but back-to-back threes by Finn McClure and Chase Love cut it to a four-point margin (77-73) with 16 seconds remaining. The Bears converted four free throws over final 15 seconds to seal the 81-73 victory.

McClure finished with a career high 20 points. Knox had 13 points and six rebounds. Sanad posted 11 points and five rebounds.