Buffs Men's Basketball Comfortably Outduels Columbia inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse

MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The Milligan men's basketball team kept things rolling in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play, earning their second straight victory of the 2024-25 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) season, defeating the Columbia College Koalas inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Wednesday night by a score of 78-64.

Both teams were slow out of the gates offensively, with Columbia shooting only 33% from the field and 14% from three in the first. Meanwhile, Milligan shot 39% from the field and 18% from three-point land. The Buffs were able to jump out to a double-digit lead halfway through the first (23-13), but the Koalas went on a run of their own and cut the lead down to just two points (27-25). However, Milligan answered with a late run, led by McCaskill Rivers, to go back up 10 heading into the half (36-26). Rivers led the offense with 13 points, but it was the guard, Finn McClure, doing the dirty work down low with 7 first-half rebounds.

Both offenses improved in the second half, but Milligan's sharp shooting, both inside and with the mid-range, ended up being the difference. The lead was stretched as large as 20 points for the Buffs (61-41), who shot 46% (20% 3pt.) from the field. Columbia improved from long-distance (38% for the half) and cut the lead back down to single digits (61-52). Unfortunately for the Koalas, McCaskill Rivers continued his torrid pace with 16 in the second half, with the rest of the Buffs contributing with a steady balance of offense, defense, and rebounding. When the final buzzer sounded, Milligan had claimed a 78-64 victory to move to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the AAC.

Rivers led all scorers with 29 points on 7-of-16 shooting and was Mr. Reliable at the free-throw line, shooting 14-14 from the stripe. Lincoln Thomae (5-12 shooting) and Handje Tamba (4-6 shooting) both added 10 points to Milligan's total.

McClure played floor general, finishing with 6 assists. Jayme Peay dished out 4 assists off the bench, and Thomae added 2.

The Buffs crashed the boards all night, hauling in 46 team rebounds. Peay had 9 rebounds to complement his assists, matching Tamba's team-high mark of 9. McClure ended the night with 8 rebounds, and Rivers pulled down 6.

The stat that made the difference down the stretch was Milligan's clutch free throw shooting, as the Buffs shot 23-28 from the line as a team (82%).

Milligan, now 6-2, will travel to Reinhardt University this Saturday, Nov. 23 to try and make it a third-straight AAC victory against the Eagles. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.