ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 21, 2018) â€" Aaron Levarity supplied 20 points and 11 rebounds, but the Milligan College men's basketball team fell in a close one on the road to NCAA Division I foe UNC Asheville 86-76 in an exhibition contest Friday afternoon inside Kimmel Arena.
 
Milligan led at the halftime break, but a 9-0 run in the second half by the Bulldogs was the ultimate difference in the game. With the score tied at 51 apiece, UNC Asheville scored the next nine points to retake the lead for good and were able to hold off the Buffaloes' rally down the stretch.
 
A Jacob Cawood layup with 6:34 remaining in regulation cut the Asheville lead to four, but that would be the closest Milligan would get as Asheville's DeVon Baker quickly responded with a 3-pointer to ice the game.
 
GAME OF RUNS IN FIRST HALF
After an 11-4 run from the Bulldogs gave them their largest lead of 10 points at 23-13, Milligan followed with a dominating 15-0 run to take a 28-23 lead. The Buffaloes run lasted for 5:14 seconds as they stifled the Asheville offense with suffocating defense and Tyler Faulkenberry led the charge offensively for Milligan with a trio of deep threes.
 
Asheville would respond with a 14-3 run of their own to retake the lead at 37-31, but Milligan would close out the first half strong with a 7-0 run to take a 38-37 advantage into the break.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
For the second night in a row, Faulkenberry followed behind Levarity as the second leading scorer for Milligan as he poured in 15 points and shot extremely well from behind the arc knocking in 5-of-8 treys on the day.
 
Cawood was the only other Buff in double figures as he finished with 13 points. Desean Green and Tyler Nichols each chipped in eight, while Will Buckner added seven. Green and Mike Featherston orchestrated Milligan's offense with five assists each.
 
Overall, Milligan shot 50 percent from the field and finished 6-of-14 behind the arc. The Buffs held the lead for 10:30 of the contest.
 
Asheville also scorched the nets finishing the day shooting 50 percent from the field and made 13 threes which ended up being one of the biggest differences in the game. The Bulldogs were led by Tajion Jones who finished with 30 points and Baker followed with 22 points.
 
QUICK FACT
UNC Asheville's Head Coach Mike Morrell was a 2005 Milligan grad and was a member of the Milligan College men's basketball team during his time in school. Morell was a three-year starter and a 1,000-point scorer in his Buffs career.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan returns to Appalachian Athletic Conference play Wednesday, Jan. 2, when they travel to face Bryan College at approximately 7:30 p.m. The Buffs will remain on the road for the following contest against Point University before returning home to Steve Lacy Fieldhouse Thursday, Jan.10, for a matchup with Bluefield College at approximately 7:30 p.m.

ðŸ"·: Robert Kell, Creative Story Visuals