3Williamsburg, KY – The University of the Cumberlands men's basketball team had four players in double figures en route to a 77-70 season opening win over Bryan Monday night at the O. Wayne Rollins Center.  Tevin Olison led the way for the Patriots recorded 25 points and nine rebounds in his UC debut.

The Patriots got off to slow start trailing by as many as seven points in the first eight minutes of the contest.  Midway through the first half Jahi Hinson hit a field goal, before Tevin Olison drained a three-pointer to even the score at 13-13 with 9:33 remaining.  From that point UC, Olison and Steven Fitzgerald combined for 13 unanswered points, over a four-minute span, to give the Patriots a 26-13 lead with 5:45 remaining in the first half.  The two teams traded baskets over the remainder of the first half, which included the Jordan Griggs netting five points for UC, to give Cumberlands a 33-23 lead at the break.

Cumberlands extended their lead to start the second half as Caleb Taylor found Nnamdi Van Dulm for a bucket, while Olison added another field goal to push UC's lead to 14.  The Patriots maintained a double-digit lead for the first ten minutes of the second half, pushing the lead to as many as 15 points after Fitzgerald connected with Olison from long range at the 11:47 mark.  Bryan cut the lead to nine points two minutes later, however, Griggs sank three straight free throws to push the lead back to 12.  The Lions used a 12-4 run to cut the score to 62-58 with 5:34 left. The Patriots responded with seven straight points highlighted by an Ethan Snapp triple and a Hinson put back, which extended the lead to 59-58 with 3:26 remaining.  Bryan outscored the Patriots 12-5 down the stretch cutting the lead to 74-70.  Olison closed out the game sinking the front end of a one-and-one and notching a put back off the miss for the 77-70 final.

The win was the sixth straight season-opening win for Head Coach Don Butcher and the Patriots. In addition to his 25 points, Olison grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.  Hinson finished with 16 points and five rebounds, while Griggs and Fitzgerald recorded 11 and 10 points, respectfully. 

The Patriots will return to action Saturday, October 26, when they host Milligan with tipoff slated for 3 p.m. Live video will be available here, while live stats are available here. Prior to the game UC will be holding a court dedication ceremony for former Patriot coach and Athletic Director Randy Vernon.

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