BJ Appel
Reporter
“My last game here at Milligan was real emotional from the stand point that it was the last time I would be playing in Steve Lacy Fieldhouse and in front of all the fans,” summed up senior guard Roy Richmond after Milligan celebrated senior night last Saturday.
The halftime celebration of three graduating seniors, forward Jonathan Harris,
and guards Michael Morrell and Richmond was the only highlight of the night
where the Buffs (13-16 overall, 12-10 AAC) fell to Brevard College (16-16,
11-11) 61-69 to close out their regular season.
The Brevard Tornados tacked on a 21-point lead going into halftime. Despite the
deficit, the Buffs stormed back within five by a clutch three-pointer from
junior Eric Coggins with 1:24 left in regulation. Yet, by using Milligan’s
turnovers to their advantage, Brevard maintained the lead and the victory.
Junior forward Craig Emmert led all scorers with 16 points and four blocks.
Milligan’s fine tuned backcourt of juniors Scott Ferguson and Coggins combined
for 19 points, seven steals, and four assists. Coggins went 3-6 beyond the arc,
ending the season shooting 46.7 percent from three-point land, putting him atop
the list of AAC three-point shooters. Ferguson finished second in assists,
averaging five per game.
Harris led the Milligan seniors with 11 points, which put him in the coveted
1,000 point club even though it is only his second year at Milligan. Morrell
also had six points and three assists in his last game at Milligan.
Milligan shot poorly from the field and was out rebounded 25-4, paving the way
for Brevard to win the game. The Buffs shot 38 percent from the field, 33
percent from the three-point line, and 74 percent from the free-throw line.
The Buffs, after losing seven of their last ten conference games, face an uphill
battle when they enter the AAC Tournament this week in Bristol, Va. Their first
game was against Covenant College last night, but statistics were not available
in time for production of the Stampede.