COLUMBIA S.C. (Nov. 7, 2018) â€" Tyler Nichols scorched the nets for a career high 26 points and the Milligan College men's basketball team (4-1, 1-0 AAC) picked up their fourth straight win with an 84-79 victory over Columbia International University (1-2, 0-1 AAC) in both teams' Appalachian Athletic Conference openers.
 
Nichols was eight of 13 from the field and added a team high 10 made free throws on 13 attempts. Aaron Levarity registered his fifth double-double of the season as he supplied 20 points on six of 13 shooting and pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds. Levarity started today's contest ranked first in NAIA Division II in total rebounds.
 
Desean Green continued to be a force on the defensive end as he recorded four steals bringing his season total to 17. Green entered play second in NAIA Division II in total steals. The junior guard also added 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
 
Jacob Cawood was the fourth Buff to reach double figures on the night as he tallied 10 points and hauled in four rebounds.
 
LATE MILLIGAN RUN PUTS GAME AWAY
After a made three-pointer by CIU's Eric Graham with 5:55 remaining in the contest, the Buffs found themselves trailing 75-72. Milligan would score the next five points over the next two minutes to retake the lead for good thanks to a bucket from Levarity and three clutch free throws from Green.
 
The Rams would trim the margin to one on two separate occasions in the final minutes of action, but the Buffs always had an answer. Levarity would ultimately ice the game from the free throw line in the final 15 seconds as he knocked down a pair to put Milligan up four. Bo Pless added another point from the charity stripe with two seconds remaining to make the final score 84-79 Milligan.
 
Milligan held a 44-39 advantage at the end of the first half, which wound up being the difference in the outcome as both teams scored 40 points apiece after the break. The Buffs largest lead of the night was 11 thanks in large part to a 9-2 run over a three-minute stretch midway through the first half.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Overall, Milligan shot 42.9 percent from the field, but struggled from downtown as they only knocked in 6 of 25 threes on the night. The Buffs were clutch in the second half from the foul line as they drained 16 of 20 free throws to help seal the win.
 
On the other side, CIU finished 27 of 73 from the field (37 percent) but were able to hang around in the contest due to 14 made threes. Corey Benton was the leading scorer for the Rams as he tallied 17 points over 33 minutes of action. Tyrone Dantzler Jr. followed with 15 points.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan remains on the road as they travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to face NCAA Division I opponent Middle Tennessee State in an exhibition game Friday. The Buffs return home Tuesday, Nov. 13, for an AAC matchup against St. Andrews. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:30 p.m. following the women's game.  

ðŸ"·: Robert Kell, Creative Story Visuals