Contributed Report/Milligan Athletics

Jacob Cawood continued his recent streak of success with another double-double, but Allen University handed the Milligan College men’s basketball team an 82-76 loss Wednesday evening in an Appalachian Athletic Conference game at Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.Cawood scored a game high 24 points to go along with a

Cawood scored a game high 24 points to go along with a team-high 11 rebounds, marking his fourth double-double of the season. Two other Buffs were in double figures in scoring as David Casaday scored 15 and Bo Pless scored 13, but Milligan dropped to 11-15 (7-11 AAC) with the loss. The game split the season series with the Yellow Jackets as Milligan topped Allen 91-86 on the road earlier this season.

Freshman Daxton Bostian and sophomore Aaron Levarity also put up good numbers. Bostian scored eight points while dishing five assists to only one turnover. Levarity, in his first start of the season, played 24 minutes and registered five points, eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals.

Milligan looked sharp early and jumped out to a 12-8 lead through the first four minutes, but the rest of the first half went back and forth. Allen eventually seized control of the lead and went up by nine but a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Cawood triple in the corner in the closing seconds of the first half, sent Milligan into the locker room at halftime trailing by only five, 40-35.

Cawood started the second half with a basket that put the Buffs within one possession, and Casaday drew the game even with a triple on Milligan’s second possession after the break. From there, the game once again went back and forth until a 15-5 Allen run put the Yellow Jackets back up by nine. Milligan cut it to within three with just over seven minutes left and again had it down to a four-point deficit with just over 30 seconds left after a Cawood putback, but the Buffs would get no closer.

For Allen, Loce Hill put together a double-double off the bench with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Demetrius Richardson, who also came off the bench, finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.

Milligan will return to action for another AAC game on Saturday when the Buffs travel to Point University for a women’s and men’s doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. Milligan will be back home next Wednesday, Feb. 15, for an AAC doubleheader against Bryan College.