MILLIGAN, Tenn. - The Milligan University men's basketball hosted their first home game of the 2025-26 campaign against the No. 9-ranked Life University Running Eagles. Life scored 59 points in the first half and the Buffs were unable to overcome the potent Eagles offense, eventually falling by a final score of 107-87.
The Buffs scored first with a jumper from
Elijah Bredwood, but the Eagles responded with a three on other end to give them a lead they would hold onto for the rest of the game. Following the three, the Eagles scored six straight points forcing Milligan to take a timeout. Coming out of the break,
Ahmari Hicks knocked down back-to-back triples to bring the Buffs within six points with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. Over the next four minutes Milligan coughed up the ball three times, which led to an Eagles 9-2 scoring run, extending their lead to 24-11 with just over 10 minutes to play in the half.
Zack Turner provided energy off the bench, as he scored five straight points to end the Eagles run and cut the lead to single digits. From there the Eagles meticulously extended their lead over the next ten minutes, culminating in their largest lead of 24 points (59-34) to end the first half.
Milligan could not keep up with the fast-paced Eagles offense in the second half. The half started with both sides trading buckets, until a 12-1 run from the Eagles gave them their largest of the game of 32 with just under ten minutes to play. The Buffs struggled to find their way back into the game after this, and despite late scoring, eventually fell in their home opener 107-87.
Bredwood led all Milligan scorers and tied for a game-high with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting and 2-of-7 beyond the arc. Hicks found his stroke behind the three-point line, finishing with seven made threes on 13 attempts, and 21 total points. Two other players finished in double figures, as
Jake Benham added 13 and Turner also added 13 off the bench. Overall, the Buffs shot 30-of-69 (43.5%) and 15-of-42 (35.7%) from three.
Milligan assisted on 21 buckets, with
Te'Jon McDaniel-McCormick distributing a team high of five. Benham and Turner had four dimes apiece, and Bredwood and Hicks dished out theee, while
Liviu Anton and
Jazper Johnson each had one assist, respectively.
McDaniel-McCormick hauled in seven boards to lead the team. The next-highest total was six by Bredwood, followed by
Bo Koebbe with five and Hicks with three. Milligan finished with 39 total rebounds, with 12 of them being offensive.
The squad totaled six steals in the loss, as McDaniel-McCormick took the ball away twice in the bout to lead the way. Bredwood, Koebbe, Turner, and Johnson all had one, respectively.
Milligan is back on the road for their next contest taking place in Waleska, Ga. on Saturday, as they face another tough test against Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opponent Reinhardt University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
