MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Dec. 5, 2018) â€" Despite an Aaron Levarity double-double, the Milligan College men's basketball team dropped their second straight game as they fell 73-63 to No. 25 Montreat in an Appalachian Athletic Conference battle Wednesday night inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
The loss dropped the Buffaloes to 22-9 in the regular season against Montreat over the last 15 seasons. Milligan now sits at 6-5 overall (3-4 AAC), while the Cavaliers improved to 7-2 (6-1 AAC).
 
Milligan headed into the halftime break with a 31-28 advantage, but the lead would not hold for long as the Cavaliers quickly scored seven of the first ten points in the second to regain the advantage at the 18:17 mark. The Buffs managed to stay within striking distance, but after Will Buckner tied the game at 49 all, the Cavaliers followed with a game clinching 10-0 run.
 
The 10-0 stretch lasted for over four minutes and ended on a made three by Mike Featherston at the five minute mark. Milligan got as close as four points with 1:21 remaining on a layup by Levarity, but that would be the closest the Buffs would get as Montreat put the game away from the foul line.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Levarity, a senior forward, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. The senior finished 6-of-10 from the field and added in two steals and a block on the night.
 
Entering the contest, Levarity led the AAC in both rebounds and points per game, while holding three top three national rankings in offensive rebounds per game, total rebounds per game and total rebounds.
 
Redshirt junior Tyler Nichols was the only other Buff in double figures as he supplied 13 points. Featherston followed with eight points, while Jacob Cawood, Desean Green, Tyler Faulkenberry and Will Buckner each finished with six.
 
As a team, the Buffs shot 43.1 percent from the field but struggled from deep finishing 4-of-18 from behind the arc. Milligan had shot 52 percent from three over their last two contests coming into tonight.
 
Montreat knocked in 24 of their 55 attempts and similarly to the Buffs struggled from 3-point range finishing 3-of-19 on the evening. The Cavaliers really took advantage at the free throw line netting 22 makes out of 32 attempts compared to Milligan's 9-of-14.
 
Jeron Hemphill and Nicodemus Payne led Montreat with 16 each. Hemphill added in 11 rebounds for a double-double. Terrell Sheffey contributed with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers.
 
Overall, both teams finished with 15 turnovers. There were 10 lead changes and nine ties throughout the contest.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan will remain at home as they step out of conference play for a matchup against Toccoa Falls Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Buffs defeated the Screaming Eagles 96-62 on the road back on Nov. 3.