Pulaski, TN- Led by Abbi Douglas, the Cumberlands women's basketball team remain undefeated after taking down Martin Methodist on the road in the final minutes of the game. Behind a career high 21 points from Douglas, the Patriots move to 4-0 on the season and open conference play with a win.
 
The game got off to a slow start for Patriots, as the women struggled to get on the board early in the first minutes of play. Douglas sank a three-pointer to give UC their first score from the field at the 7:46 mark. The Redhawks continued their hot streak, going on a 12-2 run before Addison Wilson drained a three to halt their momentum. The Pats ended the first quarter down 22-14, shooting only 45% from the field.
 
Martin Methodist opened the second quarter with back-to-back three's from junior Addie Baird, as the Patriots battled to retain possession. With 3:44 remaining, the Patriots found the momentum they needed when they turned a defensive stop into a pair of points from Reagan Begole. Olivia Federle and Vilma Covane combined for the final three points of the half as the Pats went into the locker down 44-31.
 
Walking back onto the court swinging, Douglas and Carla Covane scored in the first two possessions to shrink the Redhawks' lead to nine. Senior guard Silvia Veloso added to the fire with a long three-pointer to make the score 46-40 at the 6:10 mark. In the final two minutes of the third quarter, Douglas recorded a steal and subsequent basket, followed by a bucket in the ensuing possession to bring the score within one. The Patriots outscored the Redhawks 20-12 in the third quarter as they began mounting their comeback.
 
Taking full advantage of the momentum created from the previous period, the Patriots went on an 8-0 run to open the final quarter. Hannah Lawson hit a three during the run to give Cumberlands their first lead of the afternoon at 59-56. Regaining their lead with 2:45 remaining, the Redhawks quickly lost it as C. Covane secured the Pats final lead just moments later. The game continued to go back and forth, but the Pats maintained their composure and pulled away from Martin Methodist in the final seconds. Cumberlands took down conference newcomer Martin Methodist 73-69 to reign victorious in their MSC opener.
 
With 21 points each, Douglas and C. Covane led the Patriots in scoring, while Veloso led in assists with four. C. Covane added another 14 rebounds to her stat line, earning her first double-double of the season; the eighth of her career. From today's performance, Douglas reaches a new career high, scoring the most points in a game since she scored 18 nearly one year ago against IU Southeast.
 
The Patriots play again next week when they travel to West Virginia Tech for a non-conference match up. The game will take place on Tuesday, December 8, with tipoff set for 5:30pm. Live radio will be available here, while live stats are available here.
 
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.