Men's Basketball unable to overcome slow start at Point

WEST POINT, Ga. (January 7, 2023) – The Milligan University men's basketball team fell behind early dropped an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest at Point 81-69 on Saturday afternoon.

The Buffs fell to 5-9 overall and 5-5 in AAC action. Point moved to 10-7, 10-4 AAC.

The Skyhawks scored the first seven points of the game and raced out to an 11-2 advantage before Milligan notched its first field goal nearly seven minutes into the contest. The hosts established a double-digit lead (18-8) with nine minutes into the action. The Buffs hovered around a 10-point deficit over the final 10 minutes of the first half as Point carried a 38-28 edge into the half.

In the second half an 8-0 run that featured three-pointers by Sam Gold and Dylan Bartley narrowed the deficit to two possessions (45-40) with 14:24 remaining. After Point responded to the run with a three, Bartley drained another triple to keep Milligan close (48-43) with just under 14 minutes left in regulation. The Skyhawks scored the next nine points to lead by 57-43 midway through the second half.

Point's lead grew to as many as 18 points (63-45) with 7:38 to play. Three-pointers by Eli Walls and Drew Greene helped the Buffs scrap back to a 10-point game (69-59) with three minutes left, but the Skyhawks closed out the 12-point victory.

Freshmen led the charge for Milligan as Bartley (17 points) and Walls (13 points) led the Buffs in scoring. Greene added nine points and Piripi Korent had eight. Finn McClure head a team high 10 rebounds.

The Buffs committed just six turnovers on the day but were minus-10 in the rebounding margin. Milligan outscored the Skyhawks in the paint 28-26 and held a 30-23 edge in bench scoring.

The Buffs host defending AAC champion Union on Monday at 6:00 p.m.