Buffaloes too much for Covenant
  
By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR CORRESPONDENT

   Last night, if Dike Vitale had covered the Milligan College Buffaloes, he would have labeled them as "Awesome, baby!"
   Milligan took a four-point lead halfway through the second half and converted it into a big 95-82 win over the Covenant Scots at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
   "They all played hard," said Milligan coach Tony Wallingford, "They didn't hang their heads and I was glad to see that tonight. The flow of game is going better for us, and it encourages me, cause we are getting better."
   Milligan broke out the weapons early, as Michael Morrell, A.J. Hamler and Derek Dyer laid the smackdown on Covenant early, going on a 19-9 run. But Covenant soared back, with tough play from Calvin Jackson and Andrew George.
   Milligan struggled with ball handling later in the first half, but they took a 40-34 lead into the locker room.
   The second half was a Covenant 'foulfest' as Milligan shot 37 free throws. It got tight early as Jeremy Mason and Jackson pulled the Scots within two.
   However, it wouldn't last long as Lance Ashby pulled some major plays to help extend their lead.
   A technical foul from Jeremy Mason hurt Covenant in the long run, as it just helped Milligan take a bigger lead.
   Great defense from Ashby and Hamler, with a dose of Craig Emmert proved to be the recipe for a pull-away as the Buffaloes began to dominate in the latter part of the game.
   With some tough shots under their belts, Milligan stretched it out to a big 95-82 win.
   "First of all, I just want to apologize to all of our supporters for not playing our game here lately," said A.J. Hamler, "We decided as a team that we will not let anyone down. I am proud of my guys for their effort tonight. We worked well as a team tonight. Without all of the guys, we wouldn't be what we are."
   Milligan had five players in double digits on the evening, as Emmert, Dyer, Hamler, Ashby, and Morrell had 10, 13, 21, 27, and 14 respectively. It proved to be a total team effort.
   "We came off a tough game Tuesday and decided we would start playing," said Lance Ashby, "We were able to utilize each other and got going tonight. We were able to do it and pull away at the end which was fortunate."
   "I think there was something over the goal tonight, cause I missed some shots that I should've made," joked Michael Morrell, "I've been inconsistent here lately, but the past couple of games I have come along ways. I didn't get as many key shots in tonight, but it is about team play, and we're all glad to win."
   Covenant had four players with double numbers. including Calvin Jackson's game leading 31.