AVE MARIA, Fla. (Dec. 15, 2013) â€" Morgan McLeod (Hickory, N.C.) scored 22 points and Mickey Woods (Port Arthur, Texas) added 21, but it was not enough as Milligan men's basketball fell to Ave Maria 80-72 Sunday night at Tom Golisano Field House.

Milligan (9-3, 3-2 AAC) dropped its first nonconference contest of the season. Ave Maria improved to 6-4.

Ave Maria, which had been averaging over 100 points per game in its last two home contests, came out strong, grabbing the game's first six points in under a minute of action.

Milligan responded by slowly chipping into the deficit throughout the remainder of the first half and eventually took the lead early in the second half, but Ave Maria's Matt Chattin knocked down a three-pointer with 16:41 left to give the Gyrenes the lead for good. In fact, Chattin's trey kickstarted a 16-4 run where Ave Maria extended its lead to 10 with just over eight minutes left.

McLeod's 22 points led all scorers but four Gyrenes found their way into double figures, most notably Chattin who scored 21 while handing out six assists.

McLeod added nine rebounds, three blocks, and a steal while shooting 11-of-16 from the floor.

As a team, Milligan shot 46.9% from the field. Ave Maria shot 45.8%, including 50.0% in the second half.

Milligan will remain on the road Wednesday for a matchup with Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla.  Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.