Lebanon, TN – Senior forward Caleb Taylor tallied 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the (RV) University of the Cumberlands men's basketball team to a 80-69 come from behind win over Cumberland Thursday night at Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena.  With the win the Patriots improve to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play, while the Phoenix move to 10-7 and 2-3 against the MSC.

In addition to Taylor recording his seventh double-double of the season, Tevin Olison finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high seven assists.  Jordan Griggs chipped in 13 points, while Ethan Snapp drained four three's en route to 14 points.

Tevin Olison got things started for the Patriots as he converted back-to-back three's to put UC in front 6-3 early.  Steven Fitzgerlad and Caleb Taylor converted consecutive field goals to spark a 10-3 run giving Cumberlands a 16-9 lead five minutes into the first half.  The Phoenix netted ten unanswered points until Jordan Griggs notched five straight points putting the Patriots back- in front 23-19 with 9:28 remaining.  The two teams traded buckets over the next several minutes as Olison connected with Taylor for a dunk to even the score at 30-30 with 7:22 remaining.  Cumberland went on a 10-1 run before the Patriots responded with a 6-2 run of their own to close out the first half trailing 37-42.

Cumberlands came out of the break strong as Taylor grabbed an offensive rebound, his fourth of the game, and kicked out to Griggs who drained a three-pointer cut it to a two-point game.  A minute later, Olison tallied four straight points to put UC in front 44-43 with 15:10 remaining. Cumberland retook the lead, however, the Patriots utilized a 11-4 run to take a 55-54 lead with 10:55 left.  Ethan Snapp and Bri'an Brown combined for Cumberlands next ten points as Jahi Hinson added a field goal to give UC a 69-60 advantage with 6:41 remaining.  The Phoenix cut the lead to five points before Taylor hit back-to-back field goals in the paint, helping him eclipse the 20-point mark for the second time this season.  That also sparked a 14-4 run to close out the game for the 80-69 final.

The Patriots will return to action Saturday, January 11, when they host Life in conference game. Tip off is slated for 4 p.m. with live stats will be available here and live video available here.

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