Williamsburg, KY – Down ten points with 3:15 remaining, the 11^th-ranked Patriots drained four straight three-pointers and got a clutch lay-up from Tevin Olison to defeat Bethel 79-76 Thursday night on Randy Vernon Court.  With the win Cumberlands improves to 10-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play, while the Wildcats move to 4-6 overall and 0-6 against the MSC.

Olison led the way for UC with 23 points, 12 of which came in the final minutes of the game, five rebounds and two steals.  Jahi Hinson added 18 points, and four rebounds, while Josh Williams chipped in 14 points and dished out four assists.  Ismiell Etienne, making his first start for UC, grabbed five rebounds to go along with seven points.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle that saw 12 lead changes and four ties.  Both teams got off to a slow start combining for nine points in the first five minutes of play, but a Williams bucket put the Patriots in front 6-5 with 14:37 remaining.  A couple minutes later Hinson stole the ball from Tyler Neely and completed a three-point play.  The teams continued to trade baskets until a three from Williams evened the score at 17-17 with 10:57 left. 

Coming out of the ensuing timeout, Williams threw a lob to Etienne for a monster slam, which was immediately followed by Olison with a steal and slam to give UC a 21-17 advantage. Bethel went on an 8-0 run, which Cumberlands counter with a 9-0 run of their own to take a 30-25 edge with 6:00 left in the first half.  Etienne notched the Patriots next four points and on the next Bethel possession Austin Hall made a tremendous hustle play to steal the ball from Chandler Clements as Hinson connected with Fitzgerald from long range to put UC in front 37-27 at the 3:47 mark.  Bethel went on a 13-4 run, before Olison netted the final three points of the half to give UC a 44-40 lead into the break.

Both teams struggled to find the baskets to the second half as Hall's three-pointer at the 15:37 was the first field goal by either team and extended Cumberlands lead to 48-42.  The Wildcats utilized an 13-6 run, spanning five minutes, to take a 55-54 lead, however, UC responded quickly as Mayot drained a shot to put UC back in front.  There were five lead changes and three ties, which was capped off by ten unanswered points from Bethel to give the Wildcats a 71-61 lead with 3:23 remaining. On the ensuing Patriot possession Olison connected with Williams from behind-the-arc to cut into the deficit.  Cumberlands added three consecutive three's from Olison and Hinson which evened the score at 73-73 with 1:24 remaining.  The score was tied at 75-75 before Olison grabbed a defensive rebound, raced up court, and laid it in to put Cumberlands in front 77-75 with 27 seconds remaining.  The Memphis, TN native sank a pair of free to extend the lead to 79-76, while Bethel's final attempt fell short as time expired.

The Patriots  return to the court Saturday, January 9, when they host (RV) Freed-Hardeman at 4 p.m. on Randy Vernon Court.  This will be the second straight MSC newcomer that Cumberlands will face.  Live video is available here, while live stats are available here.

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