Rivers Paces Offense for Buffs Men's Basketball in Victory at Tennessee Wesleyan

ATHENS, Tenn. – On Tuesday night, the Milligan University men's basketball squad went on the road to face the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs in Athens. In an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest where the Buffs trailed in the second half by as many as eight points, they rallied to earn a tight four-point win in a hostile environment. 

In the opening half, the competition was fierce, with neither side extending their respective leads in the period to any more than six points. Tennessee Wesleyan led by four with 9:01 left, 27-23, but Milligan would eventually come back and build a six-point lead at 39-33 with 1:41 left. The TWU squad cut into that lead before the expiration of the half, as the Buffaloes went to the locker room with a 41-38 edge. Milligan made 16 of their 39 shots in the opening 20 minutes, while the Bulldogs managed a more efficient 14-of-33 clip. 

Tennessee Wesleyan scored the first seven points of the second half to match the largest lead they had achieved to that point in the contest. After Milligan fought back to be down by just one at 51-50, the Bulldogs made another run, this time a 10-3 burst to go up 61-53 with 9:24 to play. That eight-point margin would be their largest advantage in the bout. Over the next eight minutes, Milligan clawed their way back to a tie score at 67-67 with 1:46 to go. From there, the Buffs scored eight of the game's last 12 points, with four of those points coming at the free-throw stripe to take a 75-71 triumph. It was a much more palatable shooting half for the Buffaloes in the second, as they made 12-of-24 from the floor. The Bulldogs did more of the same shooting the rock, with a nearly identical 14-of-34 line to their 14-of-33 first half output. 

McCaskill Rivers was otherworldly on offense in this one, scoring 28 points across 37 minutes on the floor. He shot 10-of-21 from the field, while going 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. Handje Tamba was the only other Buffalo scorer in double-digits, as he put up 18 points on a 7-of-11 shooting night with a perfect 4-of-4 mark at the line. 

Finn McClure was the assist leader, yet again, passing out three assists in a game dominated by isolation scoring by Rivers. Sam Gold and Jayme Peay handed out a pair of dimes each, with Rivers and Tamba accounting for the final two. 

Tamba hauled in 13 backboards in the win, notching another double-double effort. Peay would have been able to snatch a double-double as well, having grabbed 10 rebounds, but he finished just shy with nine points. Gold tallied eight boards, McClure added four and Rivers provided three. Both Lincoln Thomae and Piripi Korent reeled in two. 

Milligan had four steals and three blocks in the game as a team, as Gold led the way with two thefts and a rejection. Rivers and Luke lentz had single steals in the battle, while Tamba and Peay blocked one shot apiece. 

The two-game road spell continues Saturday, Jan. 11 in Bluefield, Va., where the Buffaloes (10-7, 6-4 AAC) will battle the Rams of Bluefield University, looking to win their fourth straight AAC contest.