MARIETTA, Ga. - The Milligan University men's basketball squad faced a tough test to begin their 2025-26 campaign, facing off against the No. 22-ranked Life University Running Eagles in Marietta, Ga. After a strong first half that saw the Buffs leading at the intermission, second half woes resulted in a 83-62 loss on the season's opening night.

The opening half saw Life race out to a 21-9 lead after the opening 7:14 of game time. The Buffaloes incrementally worked their way back into the contest, as after they trailed 32-22 with 7:31 left in the half, they mounted a 13-2 run over the next 3:57 of the battle to take their first lead since the 18:17 mark of the half at 35-34. Milligan ended up entering the locker room with a 42-40 advantage. The Buffs shot 15-of-32 (46.9%) from the field in the first half and nailed four three-point shots on 14 attempts. The team also went 8-for-10 at the charity stripe. Life was held to a 15-of-37 overall clip and they made four shots from long range on 17 tries.

Milligan simply could not buy a bucket in the second half, particularly between the 15:50 and 10:49 marks, when they incurred a five-minute scoring drought. During that stretch, they allowed an 11-0 run and never clawed back from that, ending up with a 21-point deficit at the final buzzer, 83-62. The Buffaloes relied too heavily upon the long ball in the second half, hitting only four of their 23 heaves from distance. Overall, they converted on just eight of their 36 shots. Additionally, they made zero free throws in the second half. Life had no trouble scoring in the second, hitting 18-of-35 (51.4%) from the floor.

It was a good offensive performance for Elijah Bredwood, who led the team with 23 points scored on a 10-for-21 evening at the office. He made 3-of-10 from beyond the arc, as well. Two other players finished in double figures, as Grant Hensley sunk 5-of-11 shots and 2-of-5 from downtown for 12 points. Freshman Ahmari Hicks tallied 11 on a 4-of-13 shooting night, with a 3-of-12 mark from distance.

Milligan assisted on 15 buckets, with Bredwood, Hicks and Te'Jon McDaniel-McCormick notching three apiece. Jake Benham distributed a pair of dimes, and the remaining four came via Hensley, Sergej Cvetkovic, Luka Horvatic and Zack Turner.

McDaniel-McCormick showed what he is going to be able to add to the team on the glass in this one, as he reeled in 17 rebounds to far outpace any other Buffalo. The next-highest total was seven boards by Liviu Anton and then six were brought in by Bredwood. Cvetkovic tallied five, as well.

The squad totaled 10 steals in the loss, as Bredwood picked three pockets in the bout to lead the way. Anton and Benham notched two each, while Hensley, McDaniel-McCormick and Zivko Damjanovic provided the other three. McDaniel-McCormick also showed his mettle as a shot blocker, rejecting two attempts. Anton had the other block for the Buffaloes.

It is right back to it for Milligan on Saturday, as they face another tough test against a brand-new Georgia Gwinnett College team that won their season-opening matchup by a score of 106-70. The tip is set for 7:30 p.m. on their campus in Lawrenceville, Ga.