Buffs Men's Basketball Loses to St. Thomas on First Day of THE SHOW

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The Milligan University men's basketball team began their foray into the 10^th annual THE SHOW, hosted by Visit Kingsport inside the MeadowView Marriott Hotel and Event Center. For the Buffaloes' opening matchup in the event, they battled the Bobcats of St. Thomas University (Fla.). After a tightly contested opening half, the Buffs allowed the Bobcats to shoot over 50% in the second period and could not keep up, losing 71-65.

In the first, both sides struggled shooting the rock, but not for the entirety of the period. Milligan started the quarter with a 25-8 run over the course of the first 9:16. From that point forward, however, St. Thomas defended admirably and put together a scoring run of their own. They battled their way back to a 30-29 score at the break, putting up a 21-5 margin in the last half of the first period. The Buffs would head into the second looking to get back to their form that they began the tilt with.

It was about as even as possible through the first eight minutes of the second half, with both sides staying within a point of each other. The Bobcats would then pull out to a six-point lead gradually, holding a 66-60 advantage with three minutes and change left to be played. Thereafter, the Buffs could not cut into the deficit, eventually falling to St. Thomas 71-65 on the first day of THE SHOW.

Three Buffaloes scored in double-figures in the loss, with McCaskill Rivers leading the side with 23 points on a 7-of-17 shooting night. Sam Gold had his strongest offensive night of the season, scoring 15 points on a 5-of-9 clip, including one basket from long range. Handje Tamba also added 11 points in the effort.

Finn McClure was the top distributor for the Buffs in the battle, as he dished out six assists. Only one other player had multiple dimes, as Elijah Bredwood doled out a pair.

Rivers and Tamba had six rebounds each in the loss, while McClure and Gold added four, apiece. Piripi Korent added a pair of backboards for Milligan.

Gold added three steals for the squad, defensively, while McClure had two. Both Bredwood and Korent added one each. Korent also sent back two shots and Tamba and Grant Hensley were responsible for the other two.

Milligan will look to bounce back and return to the win column tomorrow evening after their third straight loss, as they face off with the Running Eagles of Life University (Ga.) at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday for their second, and final, battle of THE SHOW.