MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The Milligan University men's basketball squad concluded their 2026 season Sunday night inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse. In a game that was rescheduled, they took on Appalachian Athletic Conference opponent Tennessee Wesleyan University. The Buffs were able to end their season on a high note, after taking a nine-point lead at halftime and closing it out in the second half for a 101-92 victory. In the win, senior Elijah Bredwood etched his name in Milligan's history books in his final collegiate contest by breaking Lance Ashby's single-game scoring record of 52 points. Bredwood scored 54 points on 20-of-40 (50%) shooting, tying a school record for made field goals, including eight threes. He added six points from the free-throw line.

The record-breaking night started fittingly with a Bredwood layup to give the Buffs a 2-0 lead. Milligan's supporting cast contributed early on offense, and at the 13:53 mark Jake Benham knocked down a triple to give them a 14-9 lead. From there, Bredwood took over in the scoring department, as in 5:12 of action he dropped in 16 points to balloon Milligan's lead to 17 points at 40-23. The Bulldogs answered with a 13-2 scoring run to bring them within six points (42-36) with five minutes and 41 seconds left in the half. Both sides traded baskets over the next couple minutes, with MU's points coming courtesy of two Bredwood buckets. In the final minute, Bredwood knocked down a pair of free throws to give MU a 54-43 advantage, but a TWU jumper closed out the first half scoring to cut their deficit down to nine at 54-45 going into halftime. Milligan scored their 54 first-half points in 19-of-40 (47.5%) from the floor, while Tennessee Wesleyan scored their 45 points on 19-of-36 (52.8%) shooting. Bredwood scored 31 points in the half on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor, including an impressive 5-of-12 line from beyond the arc. He also converted on four of his five free throw attempts.

With 31 points already in the books at halftime, the record was well within reach. Bredwood needed 22 more points to surpass Ashby's mark of 52, and the chase was on. Milligan's first two buckets of the second half came when Bredwood snatched a rebound and nailed a pull-up three in transition before nailing another triple to put Milligan ahead 60-51. Over the next 6:58, Te'Jon McDaniel-McCormick and Liviu Anton picked up the offensive load, as Bredwood went scoreless in that time frame. In that time span, the Bulldogs tightened up the score by scoring 15 points to bring them within five points at 69-64 at the 10:17 mark. Scoring proved to be difficult for Bredwood in the second half as the Bulldogs shifted to full-court pressure and a box and one defense in an attempt to slow him. However, with 9:04 left in the game, he made a floating jump shot with defenders draped all over him to give him 36 points and extend the Buffs' lead to seven at 74-67. The Bulldogs chipped away at Buffs' lead over the next minutes and at the 7:15 mark they trailed by only five at 78-73, but a quick 7-0 run capped off by a Bredwood three and fast break layup gave Milligan a comfortable 13-point lead with 3:55 to play. At this point he needed six points to break the record. He made a spectacular finish at the rim at the 2:34 mark and knocked down two free throws with 1:06 remaining in the game. Then, in a fitting end to a career full of highlights, Bredwood caught the ball in stride, took flight in the paint and threw down a dunk to break the record. The Buffs took care of business in the final fifty-five seconds to end their season on a high note, leaving with a 101-92 victory.

Bredwood was followed by McDaniel-McCormick, who also had a great night scoring the pumpkin with 18 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting line. Liviu Anton tacked on nine points and Benham tacked on eight in the win.

It was Bredwood who also led the team in assists on the night, with six. Zack Turner continued to share the sugar effectively in his freshman season by distributing five. McDaniel-McCormick recorded three, and both Grant Hensley and Benham had two. Anton had the remaining assist to reach the Buffs' total of 18.

Bredwood was a rebound shy of a 50-point double-double with nine, while Anton also reeled in nine to lead Milligan. Benham capped off his freshman season by being physical in the paint and hauling in eight rebounds. Both McDaniel-McCormick and Bo Koebbe came down with the ball four times, while Turner and Hensley did so twice. Stefan Janevski and Sergej Cvetkovic each had one, respectively, to account for the 42 total rebounds in the contest.

The trio of Bredwood, McDaniel-McCormick and Benham led the team defensively by each taking the ball away twice, while Hensley also had a theft. McDaniel-McCormick recorded the lone rejection on the night.

It was a long and injury-plagued season for Milligan (9-19, 7-12 AAC), but it ended in the best way possible, with a victory, a record and a reason to be excited about what lies ahead for the Buffaloes with numerous freshman contributors.