Williamsburg, KY - Consistent and aggressive offense gave (RV) Cumberlands the 60-46 victory over #24 Bethel on Thursday night on Randy Vernon Court. Led by Hannah Lawson and Silvia Veloso, who combined for 30 points, the Patriots move to 9-2 on the year and 5-2 in Mid-South play.  The win is Cumberlands first win over a ranked opponent since December 3, 2019 when they defeated #21 Thomas More 60-47.
 
The Patriots opened the game hot scoring ten unanswered points, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Lawson and Addison Wilson. The Wildcats finally ended UC's run with a jumper inside the paint to bring the score to 10-2 with 4:56 remaining. Minutes later, Lawson drilled another shot from behind-the-arc as the Patriots improved to an eight-point advantage. A good bucket and free-throw by Vilma Covane closed the first quarter, Pats up 16-5. Cumberlands' defense held Bethel to 1-8 from behind-the-arc and 2-13 from the field.
 
Opening the second quarter, both teams swapped possession until Lawson hit a two-pointer for UC to bring the score to 19-5. On the ensuing Patriot possession, Veloso added another pair of points to the scoreboard, followed by Channing Lewis scoring a combined five points on back-to-back plays. With under five minutes to go, Veloso stole the ball from the Wildcats and found V. Covane upcourt for a basket. Lawson and V. Covane scored the last two points of the half as both teams headed into the locker room, the score 33-13 in favor of the Pats. Cumberlands outscored Bethel 17-8 in the second quarter, hitting 7-11 field goal attempts.
 
Continuing the fast-paced game into the second half, Lewis sank a three-pointer in the first ten seconds to extend UC's lead to 23. Reagan Begole hit a jumper right before Veloso shot from long range connected to bring the score to 45-23. Nearly doubled up on the Wildcats, the Patriots continued to shoot as Lawson drained her third three-pointer of the game with 2:51 remaining. Just as Bethel started to chip away at Cumberlands' lead, Destiny Haworth drained a three to put UC over BU 52-31 heading into the final quarter.
 
The Wildcats looked to make a comeback in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring on consecutive possessions, but Lillie Hall put an end to that run as she fought through a foul to earn a bucket and a chance at the charity stripe. Hitting nothing but net on her free throw, Hall gave the Patriots a 20-point lead over the Wildcats. Over the next three minutes of play, Bethel went on an 8-0 run to bring the score to 55-43, still down to UC. The last five points for the Patriots were scored on successful free throws from Begole, Veloso, and Lawson. Cumberlands lead wire-to-wire as they defeated Bethel 60-46 to earn their first win against a ranked opponent this season.
 
Lawson and Veloso scored 17 and 13 points, respectively, while combining for six rebounds and seven assists. Carla Covane and Begole each brought down six rebounds to lead the team, while Raegan Hubbard tallied a pair of blocks for a new career-high.
 
The Patriots take the court again on Saturday, January 9, for their final matchup of their four-game homestretch. UC hosts Freed-Hardeman with tipoff set for 1:30pm, live stream will be available here, while live stats are available here.
 
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