COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – On Sunday afternoon, the Milligan University men's basketball team battled their second straight NCAA Division I opponent in an exhibition matchup on the road. This time, the Buffs faced off with the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn. After Milligan started the bout with a momentous 35-27 lead, the hosts responded to oust the Buffaloes by a 95-75 score.  

In the opening half, Milligan surged out of the gates to a lead as large as 11 points at 24-13 after 8:14 of gameplay. Tennessee Tech began to battle back over the next couple of minutes to cut the deficit down to just three points at 24-21, when the Buffs surged back to a 35-27 lead with 6:08 to go in the opening half. That is when the wheels fell off the train for Milligan, as they failed to score for the rest of the period, while TTU scored 16 unanswered points to take a 43-35 lead to the locker room. 

With an eight-point gap to make up, the Buffaloes could never claw their way any closer than six points after scoring the first bucket of the second half. All told, the Golden Eagles posted a 52-40 advantage in the second period of play, snuffing out any opportunity for Milligan to sneak back within striking distance. 

The Buffs shot the ball more effectively from deep in this one, nailing 13-of-33 (39.4%) attempts from range in the loss. They shot 28-of-74 from the field, overall, for a conversion rate of 37.8%. 

Handje Tamba was effective as a scorer and rebounder for Milligan in the loss, posting another double-double effort. He scored 18 points on a strong 8-of-14 shooting line, including two three-point jumpers. A trio of other Milligan scorers added nine points, with Sam Gold, Jayme Peay and McCaskill Rivers providing offensive value. 

Finn McClure, as is often the case, led the squad with five assists. He was followed by Peay and Elijah Bredwood, who dished out three dimes, apiece. Lincoln Thomae also provided a pair of assists. 

Tamba's 11 boards were the highest mark on the squad, while Gold added on six to place second. McClure nabbed five, with Bredwood and Thomae reeling in three each. Peay and Rivers were also involved on the backboards with two each. 

The Buffaloes' defense did not rack up much regarding stats, as they had just three steals and zero blocks as a unit. Gold, Tamba and McClure were responsible for the trio of thefts. 

It is back to important Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchups for the Buffs (8-7, 4-4 AAC) when they start the 2025 portion of their campaign on Saturday, Jan. 4, inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, against the Johnson University Royals (8-5, 5-2 AAC). Johnson currently sits in the top four of the conference standings.