MILLIGAN, Tenn.— Montreat's men's basketball team played the first of three straight road Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchups Wednesday night against the Milligan University Buffaloes in Milligan, Tenn. The Cavs (14-7, 8-5 AAC) lost their second game in their last three AAC contests by a score of 99-82.
Montreat scored the first points in the contest with a
Chris Moore layup but didn't hold another lead in the first half.
RJ Manginello showed out for the Cavs with 12 points in the period. The Cavaliers could not get hot at the right time as the visitors trailed the Buffaloes (14-8, 10-5 AAC) by 12 at the half, 46-34.
The Cavs slowly chipped away at the Buffs with 3-point baskets from
Jarden Maze and
Zeke Bullington. The duo cut the Milligan lead to nine points (58-49) just over five minutes into the second half. After the Buffaloes doubled their lead up to 18, the Cavs again came back within nine points following a
Lawrence Cole free throw (86-77). Montreat shot lights out from behind the arc in the second frame, converting on 64.7 percent (11-17 3-pt FG) of its attempts. All but one player for the Cavaliers made a 3-pointer in the second half alone. Even with the hot shooting, it was not enough to come home with the win as the Buffaloes triumphed over the Cavaliers by a 99-82 scoreline.
Despite the loss, the Cavs featured four players with double-digit points on the night.
AJ Baskerville (17), Maze (16), Manginello (15) and Cole (12) combined for 60 of the 82 points scored as a team. Maze had the most rebounds with eight, while Manginello had a career-high nine assists.
The Cavs did not register a block in the contest while the hosts gathered 10. The home team also snagged 10 more rebounds than the Cavaliers (37-27). Montreat had two fewer turnovers (12-10) than the Buffs, but it had one fewer assist (17-16) as well.
The Cavaliers will continue their road trip on Saturday, Feb. 1 when they travel to Barbourville, Ky. to play the Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
