MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Jan. 16, 2019) â€" Tyler Faulkenberry knocked down a couple clutch threes and Aaron Levarity dominated on both ends as the Milligan College men's basketball team used a strong defensive finish to defeat Columbia International 80-70 Wednesday night inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
 
The win marked the Buffaloes seventh straight as they improved to 13-5 overall and 8-4 in Appalachian Athletic Conference play. Columbia International entered the contest on a three game winning streak, but fell to 10-8 and 5-7 in conference play.
 
After trailing for most of the first 30 minutes of the game, Milligan really turned up the defensive intensity over the course of the final 12 minutes. The Buffs used a 14-1 run that began at the 13 minute mark and ended at the 9:28 mark to flip a 55-46 deficit to a 60-56 lead. Tyler Nichols started the surge with a 3-pointer off of an assist from Levarity and netted two free throws that gave the Buffs their first lead since the 9:49 mark of the first half.
 
The Rams would bounce back after calling a timeout and were able to slow down Milligan enough to retake the lead, which was short lived. After a fastbreak layup from Eric Graham put the Rams ahead 65-63, Faulkenberry took matters into his own hands putting together a 5-0 spurt of his own which allowed Milligan to retake the lead at 68-65.
 
The 5-0 spurt started a 14-0 run by the Buffs in which they held Columbia International without a field goal from the 6:42 mark until there were 36 seconds remaining in the contest. By that point Milligan had already established a firm grip on the game and handled their business at the foul line.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
Levarity put together yet another massive performance compiling 23 points, 16 rebounds and four assists for his 13th double-double of the season. The senior ranks in the top 10 nationally in six different categories and leads the AAC in rebounding and double-doubles.
 
Three other Buffs joined Levarity in double figures as Nichols poured in 13, Jacob Cawood netted 12 and Faulkenberry added 11. Cawood also contributed on the glass with eight boards.
 
Bo Pless, Desean Green and Mike Featherston followed with 8, 7 and 6 points respectively.
 
Milligan struggled from the field in the first half shooting 34.4 percent, but netted 14-of-29 shots in the second half to finish 41 percent for the game. The Buffs did excel from the foul line where they knocked in 20-of-26 attempts.
 
The Rams were led by Corey Benton with 20 points and Arthur Pearson who finished with a near triple-double with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
 
CHASING 1,000
Levarity is closing in on 1,000 career points at Milligan as he now sits only eight points away from the impressive milestone.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan hits the road for their next three contests beginning with an AAC matchup against St. Andrews University Saturday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. The Buffs next home game will be Saturday, Jan. 26, against AAC foe Reinhardt. Tip-off is set for approximately 4 p.m.