Buffs Men's Basketball Holds off Tennessee Wesleyan to Advance to AAC Tournament Semis

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The No. 2-seeded Milligan men's basketball team was victorious in their Quarterfinal bout in the AAC Tournament, defeating the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs by a score of 69-60 on Thursday evening at the MeadowView Marriott in Kingsport.

In the first half, Milligan had multiple opportunities to pull-away, but Tennessee Wesleyan used a strong mentality to fight back with a run of their own each time and kept the game close. Both teams shot similarly from the field in the half (Milligan- 35.5%; Tennessee Wesleyan- 36.4%). However, Tennessee Wesleyan was better from the three-point line, shooting 5-of-12 to Milligan's 3-of-11. The Buffs' free-throw advantage, 12-of-16 to the Bulldogs' 6-of-10, helped them to a 37-35 lead heading into halftime. McCaskill Rivers led the Buffs with 12 points in the half on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. Handje Tamba controlled the boards with seven rebounds, as Rivers, Jayme Peay, and Sam Gold each added five boards in the half.

The Buffs hit the floor ready to play to start the second half, as by the 12:15 mark, Milligan had extended their lead to 13 over the Bulldogs (52-39). Once again, however, the Bulldogs would not go away quietly, as at the 5:14 mark, they had cut the lead back down to four (59-55). In the end, clutch shot-making from Rivers and Tamba would be the difference down the stretch, as the Buffs were able to secure the victory by a score of 69-60 over the Bulldogs. The Buffaloes improved their shooting percentage to 40% in the second half, with Tennessee Wesleyan's diminishing to 28.6%. Neither team could find their groove from long range, as both teams shot 16.7% from three in the half. Milligan once again outshot the Bulldogs from the free throw line, as well (MU: 7-of-9; TWU: 3-of-10). Rivers once again led the way offensively with 11 points in the half. Tamba added six rebounds to his total and also shut things down on the defensive end with four second-half blocks.

Rivers controlled things offensively for Milligan, scoring 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting, while also finishing 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Tamba added 11 points, and Luke Lentz scored 10 off the bench in the contest. Tamba also finished with 13 rebounds, giving him a double-double. Jayme Peay added eight boards, followed by Rivers with six. Peay and Finn McClure led the team in assists, both notching three on the night.

Following the win, Milligan will face off with the Montreat College Cavaliers in the AAC Tournament Semifinals at 8 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 28. The winner will advance to the AAC Tournament Championship game at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 1. All AAC Tournament games are being played at the MeadowView Marriott in Kingsport.