Williamsburg, KY - The Patriots men's basketball team started off their 2021-22 campaign the way they wanted to as UC was able to put triple-digits on Milligan. It's the kind of start head coach Matt Daniel envisioned to begin the season and his career in the 102-83 win over the Buffaloes inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center.

The Patriots were spearheaded by a trio of veterans in Steven Fitzgerald, Jahi Hinson, and Kahlil Davis who all pitched in 20+ points. Fitzgerald led the way with a career-high 27 points to go along with 11 rebounds for the second double-double of his career. Davis also set a career-high in points with 26 with much of that coming in the second half as he went 8-11 from the floor and 5-7 from deep in the final 20 minutes. Hinson made for the third Patriot to reach the 20-point mark as he was 8-15 in the game while grabbing eight boards and hitting a pair of threes.

The two teams played each other fairly even over the course of the first several minutes until a Matt Cromer three gave the Patriots a lead they would never relinquish. That lead would grow in large part due to Fitzgerald as he scored seven of the team's 11 points from the 11:49 mark to just five minutes remaining in the half.

The Buffaloes were able to stick around through the first 10 minutes of action in large part due to their efficient shooting from deep. Milligan shot 37.5% from three, matching the Patriots stride-for-stride in the first half. The Buffaloes began to mount a run, cutting the lead to one with 12:23 remaining in the half to help get them back into this one. It wasn't meant to be, though, as a pair of paint buckets by Lamar Harris and a three from Matt Cromer gave Cumberlands their first double-digit lead at the 2:10 mark of the opening half.

Cumberlands matched their first half total for threes made in the first two and half minutes of the half number two as Fitzgerald, Davis, and Isaiah Payton each knocked down a triple. The Patriots made a concerted effort coming out of the halftime break to shoot more from beyond the arc and it paid off as the team was 12-24 (50%) from deep once play resumed. 

Even with all the three's falling for UC, Milligan continued to try to hang around. It seemed like the Buffaloes were one solid run away from turning the tide, but a Lamar Harris fast break jam took the wind out of the opposition's sails. Harris picked Finn McClure's pocket before racing down the court for a thunderous dunk to give the Patriots a 66-52 advantage that felt much larger with 13:15 remaining in the game.

From there on out Cumberlands was able to keep Milligan at arms length as the deficit never dipped below 12 points the rest of the way. UC decided it was best to feed their go-to guys to help put this one on ice as Fitzgerald, Hinson, and Davis scored a combined 23 straight points. 

That stretch of strong play began with a triple from Hinson at the 11:42 mark of the second half and ended with Fitzgerald nailing one from deep with just a little over five minutes remaining in the game. By the end of the run by the Patriot's trio of stars, Cumberlands had eclipsed the 90-point mark for the game while extending their lead to 20 as they put this one to bed.

It was a special win for UC as it gave coach Daniel his first win of his collegiate coaching career. The former Patriot assistant coach was named the man in charge on September 1st after former head coach Donnie Butcher announced his retirement after 21 years. Coach Butcher amassed 452 wins during his time with Cumberlands, a mark coach Daniel will look to surpass someday. For now, though, he is elated to have grabbed his first.

Cumberlands continues to get off to good starts as this marks the eighth straight season opening win for the Patriots. Four of those wins have seen Milligan on the losing end with the average margin of victory being 18 points in those contests.

The Patriots will look to gather some momentum here in the early going in their next game as they travel to Campbellsville, Ky. to compete in the Campbellsville Classic. They are set to play St. Xavier (Ill.) in their first game of the tournament on Friday (Oct. 29) with Ohio Valley to follow on Saturday.

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