MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Nov. 21, 2017) â€" The Milligan College men's basketball team battled hard against the defending national champs, No. 2 Union College, on Tuesday night in an Appalachian Athletic Conference showdown. The Buffs were defeated by the Bulldogs, 83-73.

THE BATTLE

At the sixth tie of the game (21-21), Milligan and Union fought back and forth exchanging leads. With three minutes left in the first half, the Bulldogs led by five points. However, the Buffs responded with a couple of free throws, a three-pointer and a field goal to gain the momentum in order to finish the first half on a 4-0 run securing a five point lead on Union at the half (35-30).

Immediately, Union was ready to minimize the five point deficit. After the Bulldogs tied it up at 37 apiece (17:59), the Buffs were incapable of gaining no more than a one point lead the rest of the game. Nevertheless, Milligan did not go down without a fight. With just four minutes remaining, the Buffs were within two points of the Bulldogs. With nine made free throws in those final four minutes by the Bulldogs, Union capitalized on the momentum to finish the game with a ten point defeat.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

The Buffs had four players in double digits. Senior David Casaday led Milligan with 20 points. Following was junior Aaron Levarity with 13 points and 10 rebounds, tallying his fourth straight double-double. Sophomore Desean Green and junior Will Buckner had 12 apiece. Green led the Buffs with six assists while Levarity led with three steals.

K.J. Duronslet led Union with 20 points while Austin Cummins followed with 16 points. The Bulldogs' were also led by Miles Harrison with nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

Milligan competes in the NAIA DII Showcase in Kingsport over the weekend. The Buffs will face Washington Adventist University on Saturday at 7 p.m. and the University of Northwestern Ohio on Sunday at 5 p.m. Games are held at the MeadowView Marriot, which also serves as the site of the AAC Tournament.