Williamsburg, KY – The 21^st-ranked UC men's basketball team hit six three-pointers to start the game and had four players in double-figures as UC defeated Freed-Hardeman 80-67 Saturday night at the O. Wayne Rollins Center. With the win the Patriots improve to 12-2 overall, while the Lions fall to 2-10.

UC came out strong netting their first 18 points from beyond-the-arc to take an 18-9 lead with 13:48. Anthony Eaves hit three of those shots, while Danny Butt chipped in a pair to put UC in front early. The Lions responded with a 10-6 run, over the course of four minutes, to cut the lead to 24-19.  From that point, Cumberlands pushed the ball inside generating six three-point play opportunities on UC's first six made two-point field goals, converting four of them to extend their lead to 43-23 with 2:52 remaining.  Malik Colvin-Seldon added four more points, before Hunter Bode hit the final field goal of the first half to give the Patriots a 49-32 advantage at the break.

The two teams came out trading baskets for the first five minutes of the second half, keeping Cumberlands in front 57-40.  A minute later, Colvin-Seldon hit Eaves for his fifth three-pointer of the game to extend the lead back to 19 points. After trading baskets, Jordan Griggs and Nnamdi Van Dulm hit back-to-back to push the score to 69-48 with 10:27 remaining.  Freed-Hardeman hit a three-pointer, before Jahi Hinson drained a field goal, while Travon Labranche converted a three-point play to extend Cumberlands lead to 73-51, their largest lead of the game.  The Lions closed out the game on a 16-7 run for the 80-67 final.

Leading the way for the Patriots were Colvin-Seldon and Eaves, who finished with a team-high 18 points apiece.  Colvin-Seldon and Bri'an Brown also grabbed eight rebounds each in the game.  Griggs chipped in 15 points and three steals, while Butt added 12 points and two assists. 

UC returns to action Sunday, December 30, as they host Xavier on the final day of the Cumberlands Classic.  The game is slated for 4 p.m. with live video of the game is available here, while live stats will be available here.

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