MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Jan. 30, 2016) â€" Senior Julian Bailey poured in a game-high 16 points on 60 percent shooting from the field and added 10 rebounds, while fellow senior Kurt Brooks also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards as the pair led the Milligan College men's basketball team to a 10-point win, 80-70, over Truett-McConnell College Saturday evening at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
With the win, Milligan improved its record to 12-7 overall and 8-5 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Additionally, the Buffaloes have now won five of six games against Truett (6-16, 2-9 AAC), which lost its fifth AAC game in the last six tries.
 
Bailey had his team-best 13th double-double of the year and eighth in his last nine games, while Brooks' was the third for both his career and his final season. Brooks also had two threes for Milligan, as did David Casaday, who finished with 14 points. James Songster added 10, and three freshmen, Will Buckner (eight points), Jacob Cawood (eight points) and Tyler Nichols (six points), were next in the scoring column for Milligan.
 
"We've been needing somebody to step up as that third person," Head Coach Bill Robinson said. "And tonight it ended up being more of a second person with Kurt not playing the way he normally does. Casaday gave us a big lift and Buckner gave us a big lift late, too. I think sometimes a dunk can kind of motivate you and get you to play a little bit harder, and I think that's what happened with Will."
 
Similarly to the first meeting between the Buffs and the Bears back on Nov. 24, Milligan dominated the latter half of the second period to seal the victory. This time, a 15-4 run for the Buffs starting at the 7:41 mark in the game and ending less than four minutes later turned a 60-59 score into a 12-point lead at 75-63.
 
The run featured five points from Brooks and four from Bailey, while Songster, also a senior, added four during the crucial stretch. The Bears would not get closer than 10 the rest of the way.
 
After a 37-37 tie at the intermission, Milligan led by as many as nine less than five minutes into the second half at 48-39 after a score by Buckner, who also scored during the Buffs' run in the final eight minutes.
 
The Buffs held a slight edge with seven 3-pointers made and 70.4 percent shooting from the foul line (19-27), and also shot over 40 percent from the field with 27 makes, the same number by the Bears. The difference was the five extra shots by Truett, none of which found the bottom of the net and dropped its field goal percentage to 38 percent.
 
Milligan also recorded 17 assists on its 27 field goals as Cole Anderson set a career high with six, while Songster added four helpers and Casaday had three.
 
The Bears were led in scoring by Xavier Holland with 14 points on two threes. Micah Woodard and Andretti Lloyd had 11 and 10, respectively, and Holland led the Bears with seven rebounds.
 
Next up, Milligan remains at the fieldhouse by welcoming Bluefield College at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The Buffs will then travel to Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, the following Saturday, Feb. 6, before three straight home games during the following week.