Williamsburg, KY – The UC Men's Basketball Team had four players in double figures as the Patriots defeated Bryan 74-60 Friday night at the O. Wayne Rollins Center.  With the win UC improves to 3-0 on the season, while the Lions fall to 3-1.

Both teams struggled to find the basket early in the game as EJ Bush converted the first bucket just over two minutes into the first half to give Bryan a 2-0 lead.  The Patriots used a 10-7 run, that included eight points from Bernard Samuel and Anthony Eaves combined, to take a 10-9 lead with 13:56 remaining.  The two traded possessions before Samuel and Eaves each hit from long range to extend UC's lead to 16-9 midway through the first half.  The Lions cut the lead to three but four straight points from Chance Morton pushed the lead back to seven.  The two teams continued exchanging buckets, as Morton's three pointer with 47 seconds remained put the Patriots up 32-24.  After Caleb Tuck converted a pair of free throw, Eaves drained a shot from behind the arc to give UC 35-26 advantage at the break.

Cumberlands carried the momentum into the second half and used a 14-3 run over the course of five minutes to extend the lead to 49-29, UC's largest lead of the game.  Bryan responded with 13 unanswered points to cut the lead to seven points midway through the second half.  A pair of Eric Duncan free throws followed by a Samuel's field goal pushed the lead back to 11 points.  The Patriots went on a 9-8 run over the next four minutes, as Malik Colvin-Seldon's bucket give the Patriots a 64-50 lead with 5:26 remaining. Both teams recorded ten points over the final five minutes for the 74-60 win.

Leading the way for the Patriots was Eaves, who recorded a game-high 19 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Samuel added 17 points and seven rebounds, while dishing out five assist for the third straight game. Morton tallied his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Colvin-Seldon added ten points.  Morton also recorded a career-high four steals.   

The Patriots will return to the court Tuesday, November 7, when they host Carver College at 8 p.m. in the O. Wayne Rollins Center.  Live video is available here, while live stats are available here.

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