B.J. Appel
Reporter
The Milligan Buffs rebounded from their recent losses and won at home for the first time since Jan. 29 in the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse last Saturday.
The Buffs (12-14 overall, 11-8 conference) stomped the Union Bulldogs (12-16 overall) 74-60, claiming their first victory at home since defeating Montreat 86-82 two weeks earlier.
Junior forward Craig Emmert led the team with double digits in both scoring and rebounds. Emmert scored 18 points and snagged 11 rebounds.
Sophomore JaKeith Hairston was outstanding off the bench with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist.
During the first half, the Buffs mounted a 16-point lead and never relinquished it. With nine minutes left in the second half, the Buffs put together a 13-5 run, ruining any hopes of victory for Union.
“We wanted to maintain a push, with patience offense, to fast break when we can run a solid offense,” said Milligan coach Tony Wallingford.
It got a little heated on the court at the 16-minute mark in the second half between freshman guard Scott Ferguson and Union’s Aaron Troutman. Both got into a scuffle with each other and were eventually given technicals by the referees.
Junior Todd Davis shot a couple clutch free throws down the line to seal the deal for Milligan’s big win.
The Buffs overcame their struggle of turning the ball over and getting second chances on offense with impressive rebounding.
“We know we’re undersized and we needed to be more aggressive defensively to help overcome that,” said Wallingford.
Milligan had 16 turnovers compared to Union’s 23. The Buffs’ bench lit up the night, scoring 32 of the 74 points. Senior Roy Richmond, juniors Todd Davis and Jordan Simmons, Hairston and freshman Bradley Blair all contributed to a well tuned offense shooting 48 percent from the field, rebounding 16 times, and combining to only miss four shots from the free-throw line.
The Buffs traveled to King College Tuesday evening and suffered a loss in the last minutes of play. Only one point stood between the Buffs and another win; King held Milligan a score of 64-65.
Milligan goes into the final two games of regular season play with a record of 12-15 overall and 11-9 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. They complete the season tonight and Saturday night with home games against Alice Lloyd and Brevard College respectively.