Men's Basketball Falls in Overtime to Milligan

ATHENS, Tenn.- For the first time in 2024, the men's basketball team took the floor for a game. The game in James L. Robb Gymnasium featured an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game between the Bulldogs and the Milligan University Buffaloes.

Through the first three minutes of the game, TWU held a 10-4 lead. Amauri Young, Jay Reed, Keshawn McPherson, Ty Hurst, and Kobe Pride helped the team hold their four-point advantage. Darius Rozier's layup kept the Bulldogs ahead, making the score 14-10. A few moments later though, Milligan took their first lead of the game. Over the next several minutes, play remained close between the two conference opponents. With five minutes until halftime, Hurst gave the team a 23-22 lead, scoring again on the next possession to make it a three-point advantage. A pair of free throws by Zhaelin Callahan moved the score to 27-23 as the Bulldogs continued to lead. By the halftime buzzer, Nichaune Jones and Kariden Hardrick added points to the team's total, helping Tennessee Wesleyan lead 37-31 at the break.

Hurst and Reed scored in the opening minutes of the second half, moving the score to 42-33. A layup by Young moved the team's lead into double digits with the scoreboard reading 44-33. A three-point play by Jones moved the team over the 50-point threshold, making the score 51-40. With eight minutes left, Milligan had cut the Bulldogs comfortable lead down to one point. Back-to-back layups by Young moved the score to 64-59 as 6:55 ticked on the clock. Over the next several minutes, TWU kept a five-point lead. With 14 seconds left in the game, the score became tied 85-85. A last-second layup by Young missed the mark, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Bulldogs took the first lead of the contest. TWU kept the lead, with a layup by Rozier making the score 97-93, until a 99-99 tie occurred with 35 seconds left. The tie was broken by Milligan, who won the game by a score of 100-99.

Hurst led the team in scoring with a career-high 26 points.

Up next for the Bulldogs (4-8, 4-7 AAC) is a road trip to Bluefield University. The team will play on the road for the first time in 2024 on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.