ATHENS, Tenn. (Jan. 18, 2017) â€" For the second game in a row, the Milligan College men's basketball team played a game that went down to the wire. Offense was not hard to come by as six Buffaloes reached double figures on the night, but it was not enough to overcome a seven point second half deficit and Milligan fell to the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs 107-104.
 
Milligan (9-11, 6-7 AAC) controlled much of the first half against Tennessee Wesleyan. The Buffaloes largest lead of the game came at the halfway point of the first half when freshman point guard Daxton Bostian hit a three pointer to put his team up by 12. The Bulldogs managed to chip into the Buffalo lead, but the Buffs still led 51-47 at the half.
 
The Buffs struggled to keep their lead in the opening minutes of the second half. Tennessee Wesleyan managed to tie Milligan twice, once at 53 and again at 55. The Buffs responded with a two point field goal from Will Buckner and a three pointer from David Casaday to regain the lead after each tie.
 
However, back-to-back field goals from the Bulldogs helped them regain their first lead of the second half.
 
The Buffs immediately responded with a three point play from Jacob Cawood, a pair of Tyler Nichols free throws, and a Cole Anderson field goal and led 65-60 with 14:23 left in the game.
 
A few minutes later, Tennessee Wesleyan countered with a 7-0 run to create its own five point lead and never trailed again.
 
Six Bulldog free throws in the final minute helped clinch the game for Tennessee Wesleyan, handing Milligan its third loss in a row.
 
Cawood led the Buffs with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The sophomore forward has been on fire as of late for the Buffs, recording his third double-double in the last four games.
 
Buckner was one rebound short of a double-double and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Casaday and Nichols both finished with 14 points as well. A pair of freshman also reached double figures, with Bostian and Bo Pless recording 10 each.
 
The Buffaloes take a break from conference play in their next game. They host Warren Wilson College next Monday night at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse at 7:30 p.m. Milligan will resume AAC play next Wednesday at home against Montreat College.