Men’s Basketball goes down to the wire at (RV) Pikeville

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (November 11, 2023) – The Milligan University men's basketball team had two attempts at game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds of regulation but could not convert as the Buffs fell just short, 69-67, at Pikeville on Saturday.

The Buffs move to 1-1 on the season and 1-1 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) league play. Pikeville, who received votes in the most recent NAIA national rankings, moves to 1-1, 1-1 AAC.

The Bears led by 12 at the half (42-30) and nine (59-50) with 10 minutes left in regulation but the Buffs battled down the stretch to make it a one-possession game in the final minute.

Milligan buckled down defensively and went on a 9-2 run from the nine-minute mark until 4:00 left in regulation as the Buffs narrowed the score to 63-60. Finn McClure had eight points in Milligan's push to get back within a score.

Pikeville drained a three in the final minute to go ahead 68-62 but Lincoln Thomae responded with a trey of his own to bring the margin to 68-65 with 32 seconds left. After a Bears' missed free throw and two fouls shots by Follie Bogan, the Buffs trailed by one (68-67). After Pikeville split a pair of free throws and missed the front end of a one-and-one, Thomae and Luke Lentz had three-pointers miss the mark in the final 10 seconds as the Bears escaped with the 69-67 win.

Pikeville led for the majority of the first half as Milligan's largest lead for the entire game was a single point (5-4) early in the contest.

Bogan and McClure each had 15 points. Bogan added eight rebounds and three assists. McClure added seven assists and three steals. Sam Gold added 10 points and six rebounds. Lentz finished with nine points.

Milligan made one fewer field goal than Pikeville but converted two more three-pointers. The Buffs' bench outscored Pikeville's 20-13.

Milligan travels to Truett McConnell on Tuesday evening.