The Milligan men’s basketball team beat the Bryan College Lions Wednesday night at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse, winning 79-55.
Coach Bill Robinson called the game a “great win” with “great production off our bench,” because most players were able to participate at some point.
“Bryan’s a big rival,” Robinson said. “We know them real well.”
Milligan also beat Bryan last season, 82-56.
Although it was a defensive game for the most part, the Buffaloes managed to keep out of danger. The score was 36-23 after the first half, and the team continued to increase its lead after the break.
“Coach gave us the game plan, and we just executed it,” sophomore forward Aaron Levarity said.
Freshman forward Deandre Thomas said that winning was particularly important for their Appalachian Athletic Conference rankings, stating that recently “we were tied with four other teams for sixth.”
After defeating Bryan, Milligan (9-11 AAC, 13-15 overall) are still sixth place in the AAC.
Fans clapped and hollered when sophomore Ike Ndulue dunked in the second half. Sophomore Joseph Lyttle said his favorite moment was “when Ike yammed that kid into oblivion.”
Lyttle has been working to improve student participation at games with a new group, the Herd.
“It’s getting better,” he said. This semester they have managed to get around 23 students a week to join the crowd and cheer.
The Buffs have only one more game in the regular season, against Johnson University on Saturday. They begin play in the AAC tournament on Feb. 22.
