Campbellsville, KY – Despite 44 points and shooting 55.2% in the second half, the (RV) Patriots men's basketball team couldn't overcome their slow start falling to Campbellsville 69-64 Saturday afternoon.  With the win Campbellsville improves to 7-11 and 5-10 in the MSC, while Cumberlands moves to 14-7 and 8-7 against conference opponents.

Tevin Olison led the way for UC with 28 points, 25 of which came in the second half, and four rebounds. Josh Williams added 11 points and three rebounds, while Collin Kelley chipped in nine points and six boards.

It was a back-and-forth battled right from the opening tip as UC got a three from Jahi Hinson coupled with an Isaiah Thompson putback to even the score at 5-5, two minutes in.  The Tigers went on a 7-0 run, over the next three minutes, however Kahlil Davis converted a layup for the Patriots to cut the deficit to 12-7 with 14:21 remaining.  A couple minutes later, Deng Mayot and Josh Williams hit consecutive jumpers to cut the deficit to three points midway through the half.  Both teams struggles to find the basket over the next several minutes until Collin Kelley drained a three to make it 18-16 in favor of the Tigers with 6:53 remaining.  Lamar Harris drained a pair of free throws to tie the game at 18-18 with 5:38 left, but Campbellsville went on an 11-3 run to close out the half, taking a 29-21 lead into the break.

UC came out of the second half strong as Steven Fitzgerald sank a jumper on the opening possession.  Williams added a layup before Olison pulled up beyond-the-arc for a triple to cut the deficit to 31-28 with 17:29 remaining.  Fitzgerald drained another jumper a minute later to spark an 8-2 run and give the Patriots the lead 36-35 with 14:20 left.  The Tigers responded with a 10-3 run of their own, before Cumberlands went on a 6-0 run of their own, capped off by a Harris tip-in to cut the deficit 47-45 with 8:51 remaining.  From that point, UC went cold from the field only converting one field goal over the next five minutes until Olison hit a jumper with 2:59 to cut the deficit to 58-53.  Campbellsville extended their lead to 10 points, however, the Patriots continued to battle as Olison drilled a three to make it 65-58 with 38 seconds remaining.  Olison scored the next four points to cut the deficit to 65-62, but Campbellsville hit four free throws to seal the 69-65 win.

The Patriots will return to the court Thursday, February 4, when they travel to Crestview Hills, KY to face Thomas More.  Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

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