MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Dec. 8, 2016) â€" The bench accounted for 47 of the Milligan College men's basketball team's 77 points Thursday night in a 77-60 Appalachian Athletic Conference win over Bluefield College at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
The win put the Buffs back on the winning track as they snapped a four-game losing skid to improve to 5-7 (3-3 AAC) while handing Bluefield (6-9, 3-2 AAC) only its second loss in the last eight games.
 
Tyler Nichols and Tyler Faulkenberry, both coming off the bench, led the Buffs with 14 and 13, respectively, while Aaron Levarity had eight points and six rebounds. Faulkenberry made his first three shots of the game on the way to shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-7 from the perimeter.
 
Will Buckner, who finished with 12 points, gave the Buffs a lead they would not relinquish with a basket near the 17-minute mark of the first half. From there, Milligan extended the lead out to as many as 17 in the first half before settling in to a 39-25 advantage at the break.
 
Bluefield cut the Milligan lead down to eight, 51-43, with 13:36 left in the game, then again had it at an 11-point game, 60-49, just outside of 10 minutes, but Milligan had answers in both situations. In the latter, Milligan went on an 11-0 run over a span of five and a half minutes to go back out by 22 at 71-49 with under five minutes left. The Buffs held on easily from there.
 
Freshman Daxton Bostian finished with a solid game including five points, five rebounds, six assists to only two turnovers, and three steals. Buckner added seven rebounds and Nichols added six rebounds.
 
For Bluefield, Tony Hood and Teyon Henry led the Rams with 10 points apiece. Milligan's defense held the Rams to 31.7 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from three. The Buffs also outrebounded the Rams 50-32.
 
Milligan has three more games scheduled for 2016, including an AAC game at Union on Saturday, but the Buffs will not be back home until 2017 when they welcome Point University on Saturday, Jan. 7.