Williamsburg, KY – The UC Men's Basketball Team had four players in double figures as the Patriots defeated Milligan 101-87 in their season opener Saturday afternoon at the O. Wayne Rollins Center.  It marks the first time since 1995 that the Patriots have surpassed the century mark in their season opener.

UC jumped out to a quick start as Bernard Samuel found LaRoyce Eason for a bucket on their first possession of the season.  UC went on a 7-4 run, which included a three-pointer from Eric Duncan, to give the Patriots a 9-4 lead two minutes into the first half.  Milligan was able to cut the lead to two points before back-to-back field goals from Travon Labranche and Will Gary pushed Cumberlands lead to 16-10 with 15:10 remaining.  A few minutes later Anthony Eaves drained a three to extend UC's lead to eight, 21-13.  The two teams traded baskets, before the Buffaloes (0-1) went on 9-0 run to their first lead of the game at 24-23 midway through the first half.

The two teams traded baskets over the next six minutes and saw six ties in that span, before Taylor Gover connected with Eaves for a three pointer.  UC used a 7-2 run over the next three minutes to extend their lead to 47-39 with 1:36 remaining.  Duncan and Eaves each converted a three-point in the final 75 seconds of the half to give Cumberlands a 53-42 lead at the break.

The Patriots (1-0) strong shooting continued in the second half.  Just over a minute into the half Chance Morton grabbed one of his seven offensive rebounds and put it home to give UC a 13 point advantage.  The two teams traded buckets over the next two minutes before Samuel's field goal gave the Patriots a 65-51 lead with 16:12 remaining.  Milligan went on a 12-5 run over a five-minute span to cut the lead to 70-63, but that's the closest the Buffaloes got as Duncan and Samuel connected with each other twice to extend the lead back to 13 points. 

After UC converted a pair of free throws, Samuel nailed three of his eight second-half field goals to push the lead to 85-69 with 8:34 remaining in the second half. Later in the half Eaves made back-to-back three pointers to extend Cumberlands lead to 21 points, which was their largest lead of the game.  Morton and Samuel each added a bucket before the Patriots final four points came from the charity stripe as UC led 101-85 with 1:43 remaining.  Trey Johnson hit a field goal in the final minute for the 101-87 final.

Cumberlands finished the game shooting 18 of 31 from three point range for 58%.  The 18 triples was one shy of UC's single-game record of 19, which was set back on January 2, 2016 when the Patriots defeated Miami-Middletown 123-70. UC shot 49% from the field and dished out 22 assists.

Leading the way for the Patriots was Samuel, who recorded a game-high 27 points, including 21 in the second half, while dishing out five assist. Morton tallied his first double-double of the season with 16 rebounds and 15 points, while Eaves added 20 points.  Eric Duncan chipped in 14 points, including going 3-3 from behind the arc, while Will Gary finished with five assists. 

The Patriots will return to the court Tuesday, October 31, when they host IU Southeast at 6 p.m. in the O. Wayne Rollins Center.  Live video is available here, while live stats are available here.

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