Williamsburg, KY – Cumberlands men's basketball took on Milligan College in a dramatic Saturday afternoon contest that ended with a Milligan layup at the buzzer to give the Buffalos the 67-66 victory over the Patriots. UC guard Jahi Hinson led the Patriots with a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double.

The Patriots had the hot hand out of the gates, outscoring Milligan 14-0 in the first five minutes of action. Hinson, Jordan Griggs, and Caleb Taylor all contributed to the opening run that was capped off by a Tevin Olison three pointer to make it 14-0 with 15:06 left in the first half. Out of their first timeout, the Buffalos adjusted, launching a 17-3 run over the next ten minutes to take a 20-19 lead with five minutes to go in the half. A Hinson jumper reclaimed the lead for the Patriots with under four minutes to go, followed by a layup by Hunter Bode making it 23-20 Patriots. The teams traded buckets in the final minutes of the half, which included a corner three splashed by Ethan Snapp, as Milligan would head to the locker room with a 29-28 lead.

Milligan began the second half with a three from Jacob Cawood followed by a free throw to go up 33-28 within the first minute. With 17:48 remaining, Griggs sank a deep three to give the Patriots their first points of the half, making it a two point ballgame. Hinson drained a two before a three point play from Olison tied the game at 35 with 15:00 minutes to go. The next five minutes were a defensive battle as UC's Steven Fitzgerald came off the bench in a big way, contributing four points, two steals and a block as the Patriots entered the last 10 minutes holding on to a 48-47 lead.

Hinson gave the Patriots the spark they needed, going off for seven points in three minutes, stretching the Patriots lead to nine making it 58-49 with 7:00 left to play. The Patriots maintained a strong lead until an 8-0 Milligan run with under five minutes to go tied things up at 61-61 at the 2:25 mark. With 1:04 remaining, Caleb Taylor hit a two to put the Patriots up 66-63. In the final ten seconds, the Patriots held on to a one point lead after a Milligan basket. With four seconds to go, the Buffalos boarded a Olison missed free throw, leading to a Desean Green layup at the buzzer to give Milligan the 67-66 win.

The loss puts the Patriots at 1-1 on the season as Milligan begins its 2019-20 campaign at 1-0. Hinson's double-double led the Patriots while Olison earns his second straight double-digit scoring performance with 12 points. Fitzgerald and Ethan Snapp both notched 10 points off the bench, with Fitzgerald tacking on eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Patriots will look to rebound next week as they hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Grenadiers of Indiana University-Southeast. Tip-off from New Albany is slated for Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.

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