MILLIGAN, Tenn. — The Milligan University men's basketball squad went up against the Appalachian Athletic Conference's (AAC) top squad on Wednesday inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, as the No. 12-ranked University of Pikeville (Ky.) Bears trekked to East Tennessee. In an incredible turn of events, the Buffaloes raced out to a lead at the half and clung to it in the late stages to snatch an improbable win, upsetting UPIKE by a final tally of 103-96.
The first half of play was heavily controlled by the Buffaloes, who annihilated the nets in the period to the tune of a 24-of-37 conversion clip. The two sides were tight for the first 7:30 of gameplay, as the Buffs held a slim 20-19 lead at that juncture. From there, though, the Milligan offense unfurled a 13-1 run over the next four minutes of the contest to lead 33-20 with 8:56 left to be played in the half. Gradually, Milligan increased that lead to 17 points at half's end, as they scored a season-best 60 points in a half of play. The Bears had an impressive half on offense, as well, hitting 16-of-30 from the field, but their 43 points were dwarfed by the output of the Buffs.
On the way to the first media timeout of the second half at 14:49, the Buffs were able to maintain their distance from the Bears, going up by as many as 20 points at 67-47. It was a 73-56 game at the opening stoppage. That is when UPIKE made their move, rattling off a 7-0 run over the next 1:23 of gameplay to cut the Milligan lead to just 10 points at 73-63. Milligan would take a timeout at that point, but would come out of the break by allowing another 7-0 run across the ensuing 2:58 of the contest to make it only a three-point ballgame. Milligan could not get the lid off the basket, allowing four more points to surrender the lead for the first time since early in the first half at 74-73. The Buffs would not allow the trend to continue, awakening their offense with three buckets to tie the score at 80-80 at the 6:15 mark. The next 2:39 were kind to the Buffaloes, as they put forth an 8-4 stretch to grab the lead back at 88-84 with 3:36 to go. Unrelenting mental fortitude was shown by the young Milligan squad, who held the lead for the rest of the battle, though they were challenged by a high-octane UPIKE offense. In the end, the Buffs notched a 103-96 win. Milligan matched the output of the Bears in the first half, shooting 16-of-30 in the second half, while Pikeville made 22-of-34 to closely mimic the Buffs' first half.
The hot hand of
Elijah Bredwood was the story of the contest, as the sharpshooting senior poured in 42 points on a 16-of-26 night from the field, including 8-of-14 from long range. Incredibly, it is not his season-high mark in points, as he scored 45 against Taylor (Ind.) in Xenia, Ohio earlier in the campaign. It was not just Bredwood, though, as both
Te'Jon McDaniel-McCormick (8-of-13) and
Liviu Anton (8-of-10) scored 21 points for the Buffaloes.
Grant Hensley handed out seven assists in the victory as the top sharer of the sugar. Both Bredwood and McDaniel-McCormick tallied six dimes, as well.
Zack Turner totaled three,
Bo Koebbe passed out two and both Anton and
Jake Benham were responsible for one assist. That equaled 26 assists as a team, making it a season-best by five, with their previous high being 21 against Life (Ga.) in a 107-87 loss.
McDaniel-McCormick was a menace on the glass, bringing in nine rebounds to cram the stat sheet (21 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST). Anton's seven boards were next-most on the roster, with both Bredwood and Turner racking up four. Koebbe snatched three boards, while Benham and Hensley each compiled two.
Bredwood and McDaniel-McCormick, two of the usual suspects, both stole the rock on two occasions. Koebbe racked up the other theft, and the team did not record a blocked shot.
What a way it was for the Buffs (5-15, 3-9 AAC) to get off the schneid in AAC play, snapping a streak of nine straight losses in the conference with a ranked win over the No. 12 squad in the NAIA. Milligan now has Saturday off due to the impending winter weather, as their tilt against Reinhardt (Ga.) at home has been postponed until Feb. 16. On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the Buffaloes will host the Montreat College (N.C.) Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, looking to sustain the momentum gained by this triumph.
