MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Jan. 14, 2017) â€" The Milligan College men's basketball team returned home on Saturday to take on the St. Andrews University Knights. In a tight, back-and-forth game that never saw a double digit lead, a costly turnover in the final seconds doomed the Buffs and led to a 67-66 defeat.
 
Milligan (9-10, 6-6 AAC) took control early in the game, creating its biggest lead in the opening minutes. Back-to-back field goals from junior David Casaday gave the Buffs a 14-7 lead. Casaday scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the first half.
 
The Knights created a six point lead later in the first half, their largest of the half. With St. Andrews leading 29-23, freshman point guard Daxton Bostian got mismatched on a rotation and ended up defending the post. The 5-foot, 10-inch Bostian took a charge from the 6-foot, 3-inch forward Jordan Hines and helped spark a 9-2 run for the Buffs. The ensuing possessions led to two more Casaday field goals and a Will Buckner layup that restored Milligan's lead.
 
The final five minutes of the first half saw five lead changes and resulted in a tie at 40.  
 
The teams exchanged more blows in the opening minutes of the second half, as neither team could create much separation.
 
At the 15:37 mark, St. Andrews' Connor Zinaich hit a two point jumper to give the Knights a one point lead. The Knights never trailed from that moment on and led by as many as eight.
 
Heading into the final minutes, the Buffs trailed by five. At the 3:51 mark, sophomore forward Jacob Cawood blocked a layup that resulted in Casaday's only three points of the half and cut the lead down to two.  
 
A few possessions later, a transition three from Bostian cut the lead back to one with a little over two minutes to play.
 
With 24 seconds to go, pressure from Cawood and Bo Pless created a much needed steal that gave the Buffs a chance to win the game. However, in the final seconds, a missed field goal and a turnover from the Buffs sealed the game for the Knights.
 
"We took care of the ball a lot better in the second half, we just couldn't make shots we were able to make in the first half," Head Coach Bill Robinson said following the game. "We shot 28% in the second half and you're not going to win games doing that. Great players make plays and we just didn't get that one play we needed tonight."
 
Despite some of the struggles on offense, there was plenty to take away from the defensive side.
 
"I thought our defense did really well," Robinson said. "You'd think if we gave up only 67 points we'd win. We're starting to figure out our length, how to be able to contest without fouling and force tough shots. Our young guys are inexperienced, but they're long and athletic and keep getting better as we go."

Casaday led the Buffs with 16 points, follow by Bostian's 14. Cawood recorded his second career double-double, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds including five on the offensive boards. Tyler Nichols also recorded a double-double, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
"Cawood gives us great effort every night and had another double-double," Robinson said of Cawood, whose two career double-doubles have come in the last three games. "He's our cornerstone and gives us incredible effort and incredible numbers. You feel bad for him on a night like tonight where we couldn't get one more shot."
 
After winning three Appalachian Athletic Conference contests in a row, Milligan has dropped its last two and moves to the middle of the pack in the conference standings. The Buffs will look to bounce back with two non-conference games, one next Wednesday at Johnson University and the other on the following Monday at home against Warren Wilson College. They will resume AAC play Wednesday, Jan. 25, against the Montreat College Cavaliers.