Milligan falls 84-75 to Truett-McConnell

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (January 14, 2023) – Milligan University men's basketball team dropped its fourth straight game Tuesday night as the Buffs fell 84-75 to Truett-McConnell.  

Milligan drops to 5-12 overall and 5-9 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Truett-McConnell sees the record improve to 8-10 overall and 6-8 in AAC action. The Buffs move to 1-4 in the month of January, where three of their games have been decided by 10 points or less. 

The Buffs opened scoring with a layup in the first 14 seconds, however, the Bears responded with a quick 10-0 run to take the lead. The Bears led by as many as nine points (19-10) in the first half. Milligan was able to tie the game twice at 28 and 36 but was unable able to take the lead back. TMU made a layup in the final 1:20 to garner a 36-38 halftime lead. 

At the half, Sam Gold and Dylan Bartley were the Buffaloes leading scorers with nine points each, while Levontae Knox led the team in assists (four) and rebounds (three). The Buffs shot 13 of 25 (52%) from the floor and 5 of 6 (83.3%) from the free throw line. 

The second half started off nearly identical to the first as Milligan was able to score back-to-back buckets and take their largest lead of the matchup, 42-38. This was the Buffs first lead since scoring the game's first basket. It was back and forth action until the midway point of the second half, where the Bears were able to take a seven point lead, 52-59. 

TMU was able to hold this lead for the remainder of the game as they walked away victorious, 84-75. 

Gold shot 7 of 9 from the floor and led the Buffs with 17 points. Knox finished with seven assists on the night, and Sami Sanad tallied five rebounds. The Bears' largest lead was 11 points (84-73) in the final minute. The Buffs turned the ball over 22 times, which led to 27 TMU points off turnovers. 

Milligan remains at home as they take on Kentucky Christian this Tuesday night. This will be the Buffs fourth straight home matchup and is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. following the women's game.