Men’s Basketball edged in AAC opener at Reinhardt

WALESKA, Ga. (November 5, 2022) – The Milligan University men's basketball battled for 40 minutes but came up short 72-66 in the Buffs' Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opener at Reinhardt on Saturday evening.

Milligan falls to 0-2 on the year and 0-1 in AAC action. Reinhardt moves to 1-2, 1-0 AAC.

The see-saw matchup featured nine ties and 13 lead changes over the course of the contest.

With the game tied at 60 with 3:22 left, Reinhard sank a pair of clutch three-pointers to built an eight-point edge with just under two minutes to go. The Buffs narrowed the margin to five (69-64) but a late turnover in the final minute sank Milligan's hopes for a comeback as the Eagles held on to secure the AAC win.

The Buffs led by five early as Milligan scored the first five points of the contest. Through five minutes, Milligan owned a 13-8 lead after a three-pointer by Finn McClure. Reinhardt responded with an 11-0 run that included three treys to take a six-point lead (19-13) with 11 minutes to play in the first half.

Milligan reeled off six points in less than a minute with layups by Levontae Knox and Sam Gold to tie the game at 21 with eight minutes left in the half. Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the period as Reinhardt scored last to take a 34-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The game continued to stay within two possessions through the first 10 minutes of the second half. After Reinhardt led by four (43-39), Milligan quickly rallied to take a 45-43 lead with 15:45 left on a successful four-point play by Dylan Bartley.

The game was tied at 45, 47, 49 and 50. The Buffs used a 9-2 open up a six-point lead (59-53) with nine minutes remaining. The run featured three baskets by Knox and a three-pointer by Sam Gold. The Eagles battled back take a 60-58 lead with four minutes left. Knox sank a layup to tie the game at 60 with 3:22 remaining.

Knox matched a career high with 25 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He added five assists, four rebounds and three steals in 39 minutes of action. Bartley made three three-pointers on his way to 16 points. Gold finished with 10 points and five rebounds. McClure notched eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

Milligan shot 44.4 percent from the field and held Reinhardt to 34.2 percent shooting. The Buffs finished plus-six in the turnover margin (10-16). However the Eagles enjoyed a 54-52 rebounding edge and were plus-11 from the free throw line.

Milligan hosts CIU Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m.