MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Bluefield University men's basketball dropped an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup Wednesday night, falling 88–70 to Milligan University inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.

The Rams (1–4, 1–2 AAC) opened strong, trading baskets early with the Buffaloes behind jumpers from Danny Alford and DJ McDonald. A corner three by Elijah White and a fastbreak finish from Isaiah Sanders gave Bluefield an 18–14 edge midway through the first half. Alford's second-chance bucket and a driving layup by White kept the Rams within one possession late in the period before a Milligan surge closed the half with BU trailing 43–32.

White continued to fuel the offense after halftime, scoring eight of the Rams' first 11 points to trim the deficit to single digits. McDonald followed with a fastbreak dunk and Alford added key rebounds to spark a brief rally, but Milligan countered with a 12–3 run to regain control. Despite late baskets from Sanders and McDonald, the Rams were unable to overcome Milligan's hot shooting, as the Buffaloes connected on 52 percent of their field goals and nine three-pointers for the night.

White led all scorers with 23 points on 11-of-23 shooting while adding seven rebounds and a steal. McDonald totaled 12 points, three rebounds, and three steals, and Sanders added 11 points, four free throws, and two assists. Alford contributed seven points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Shaft Clark provided six points and seven boards off the bench. Pharoah Fields chipped in six rebounds and two points, and Lenair Young finished with four.

Bluefield shot 40 percent from the field and posted 46 points in the paint but was held to 2-of-17 from beyond the arc. The Rams also forced 15 Milligan turnovers and recorded 18 points off those takeaways.

BU returns to action November 20, traveling to Lees-McRae for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.