Men's Basketball Drops First Game of Season

Elizabethton, Tenn.- The men's basketball team went on the road for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game on Tuesday. The team faced the Milligan University Buffaloes before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Milligan scored the first two baskets of the game. Kobe Pride put the Bulldogs on the board with his layup. The opponents scored the next six points to take a 10-2 advantage. Elisha Mayberry and Ty Patterson scored over the next few minutes to pull TWU within three points of the 12-9 lead. Patterson hit a three-pointer to make the score 18-12. The offense went cold over the next few minutes as Milligan scored 10 of the next 12 points to move ahead 28-14. Baskets from Mayberry, Cameron Montgomery, and Jonathan Webb were not enough to get rid of the double-digit deficit. Milligan went into halftime leading 40-24.

Out of the halftime break, Patterson, Peyton West, and Pride all scored as the team tried to mount a comeback and stay in the game. Milligan did not let the Bulldogs back in the game at this point, scoring to make the score 53-39 with 13:31 remaining. Near the midway point, Tennessee Wesleyan brought the deficit to single digits. Ray Tyler's layup after a Montgomery three-pointer made the score 57-49. The team was able to cut the lead down to five on multiple occasions as the Bulldogs tried to turn the score in their favor. Mayberry did once to make the score 61-56, while a Zhaelin Callahan layup did it again a few moments later. Each time though, the Buffaloes had a response and did not let the Bulldogs pull closer as the opponents held on for a 76-70 win.

Mayberry led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds. Patterson added 12 points.

This was the team's first loss of the season, making their record 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the AAC.