Williamsburg, KY – The 16^th-ranked UC men's basketball team had four players tally double figures as the Patriots defeated 14^th-ranked Pikeville 71-62 Thursday night at Randy Vernon Court.  With the win the Patriots extend their win streak to eight straight while improving to 15-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play.

For the second straight game, Tevin Olison led the way for Cumberlands with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Caleb Taylor notched his tenth double-double of the season finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Steven Fitzgerald and Jordan Griggs tallied 11 and 10 points, respectfully.

Cumberlands came out strong with Fitzgerald and Griggs netting the first four points of the game.  Pikeville scored eight unanswered points before the two teams traded baskets giving Pikeville and 11-8 lead with 12:47 remaining.  Bri'an Brown and Jahi Hinson drained consecutive buckets to put the Patriots back in front a minute later.  The lead changed six  times over the next four minutes, however, Olison connected with Taylor for a bucket to give Cumberlands a 20-17 lead with 6:48 remaining. Olison added a three from long range, before Taylor scored the final five points of the first half for UC giving the Patriots a 30-24 lead at the break.

Olison's strong play carried over into the second half as he converted a three-point play to push Cumberlands lead to 33-24.  Ethan Snapp, Fitzgerald, and Griggs all added buckets over the next few minutes as the Patriots extended their lead to 42-29 with 15:53 remaining. A minute later, Olison netted seven straight Cumberlands point to give UC a 51-38 advantage.  A couple of minutes later, Taylor capped off a 6-0 run with a field goal to extend the Patriots lead to 57-42, their largest lead of the game.  Pikeville went on a 9-3 run, over a six-minute span, to cut the lead to 60-51 with 5:48 left.  On the next Patriots possession, Fitzgerald drained a three and then UC sealed the game from the foul line where they converted 8-11 from the free throw line for the 71-62 final.

The Patriots will return to action Saturday, January 25, when they host 25^th-ranked Shawnee State at Randy Vernon Court. Tip off is slated for 4 p.m. with live stats will be available here and live video available here.

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