Milligan College Buffaloes

Bristol, Tenn. (Jan. 18, 2010) --- The Milligan College Buffs jumped out to an early lead, but were unable to hold on as they fell to former AAC rival King College 84-64 inside the Student Center Monday night.

In the first half, the Buffs jumped out to an early 5-2 lead three minutes into the contest, but were unable to keep pace with King’s shooting in the later stages of the half. The Buffs trailed 38-27 at the half.

Milligan was 10-of-30 (33.3%) in the opening half from the field, and was 1-of-5 (20%) from behind the arc, while King was 16-of-39 (41%) from the field, and 4-of-14 from the 3-point line.

King opened the half on a 22-7 run in the first four minutes of the second half that separated the Tornado from the Buffs. The game became more physical, and as a result Milligan saw two starters foul out midway through the half. As a team, the Buffs shot 21-of-59 (35%) compared to King’s 31-of-66 (47%) shooting.

AAC Player of the Week Cordero Seymour (Inagua, Bahamas) led the way with his fourth straight double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. It was also Seymour’s eighth straight double digit performance and his eight double-double of the season. Justin Sylvester (Kingsport, Tenn.), who fouled out with six minutes remaining, ended the night with 14 points, while Torian Sitton (Hendersonville, NC) added 10 points for the Buffs. Tyler DeVault (Kingsport, Tenn.) came up big in the closing minutes for Milligan as he ended the game with eight points and six rebounds.

“We talked about getting better every day, and then you have experiences like these when you play against teams that are a different level then you are,” Head Coach Bill Robinson said. “We have to learn lessons and take the positives from it. We fought and battled hard, and I am proud of that. We just have to continue to build.”

The Tornado was led by Mark Dockery and Stephen Kite with 16 points apiece.

The loss drops Milligan to 6-11 overall and they remain at 3-4 in the AAC, while King improves to 10-3 overall.

The Buffs return to Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Jan. 20 as they host AAC leader Tennessee Wesleyan.

“With Wesleyan on top of the league and coming to our place, Wednesday’s game is a must win,” Robinson said. “So far this season I don’t feel like they have been tested on the road, and the Fieldhouse is a tough place to play. I feel very excited to have the opportunity to have the top ranked team coming to our building.”

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.