Williamsburg, KY - Lamar Harris etched his name in the Patriots record books with a career-high nine blocks, however, it wasn't enough as they fell to the Georgetown Tigers 72-69 in their MSC opener Thursday night on Randy Vernon Court. The game saw five ties and five lead changes as Georgetown improves to 5-0 overall, while the Patriots move to 5-2.
Harris was a menace on defense, swatting everything in sight on his way to shattering his previous career-high in rejections while setting a new Patriots record for blocks in the game with nine. Along with all of the send backs, Harris also made solid contributions with eight points and seven rebounds.
Steven Fitzgerald led the team in points with 22 while tying for the team lead in rebounds with seven and pitching in four assists in the game. Fitzgerald made a major impact on the boards in the opening minutes of the game as he grabbed three offensive rebounds in the first six minutes, helping UC kick their offense into gear. In the second half, it was the Patriots guard three-point shooting that helped him be so impactful as he nailed four triples in seven attempts on his way to 12 points in the final 20 minutes.
The first half of play was a tight one as the lead never grew to more than seven. That lead came for the Patriots with 10:46 remaining in the opening stanza as UC seemed to have a good idea on what their opponent was doing on offense as the Tigers shot only 4-17 during that stretch. UC was doing a solid job of communicating on defense and were able to disrupt Georgetown's rhythm.
The three-point shot was an integral part for Cumberlands jumping out to the early lead as they nailed three from deep with one coming from Fitzgerald, Isaiah Payton, and J.J. Ramey.
Fitzgerald pitched in another three-point play the hard way as the Patriots set the tone on both the inside and outside early on.
After falling behind by seven, Georgetown called a timeout and came out of the break a different team as they went on a 13-5 run to give them the lead at 22-21 with 6:55 to go in the opening half. From there on out through the rest of the first half it was a dog fight with neither team able to make consecutive baskets over the next five minutes. UC only outscored the Tigers 11-9 in the run of trading buckets.
Jahi Hinson was integral to the Patriots offense during that stretch as he accounted for five of the team's 11 points. Hinson was able to hit-back-to back shots for UC with just five minutes left on the clock with the first coming from three-point territory while the second was just inside the line. Ramey connected on a mid-range jumper with 1:10 left until halftime to break the string of trading baskets. His jumper and a subsequent steal helped Cumberlands close out the first half on a 6-0 run to make it a 34-31 game heading to the locker room.
The first five and a half minutes of the second half looked much like the previous 20 as the two teams continued to duke it out. The Patriots and Tigers when back to trading buckets as neither squad could score consecutive baskets until the 15:35 mark of the second half. That trend changed in a major way, though, as Georgetown went on an 18-6 run over the next six minutes to give them a 62-50 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the contest. During that stretch of time the Tigers nailed nine of their 13 shots with 2020-21's MSC Freshman of the Year, Derrin Boyd, leading the way with 11 points with a four-point play to boot.
The Patriots battled back to make it a one-point game with only two minutes remaining in the game. Collin Kelley began the comeback for UC with a made basket after an offensive rebound and was followed by Payton and Fitzgerald who both hit a three to cut the deficit to seven.
After the Fitzgerald triple, Ramey and Harris became the spark plugs UC needed to remain in this one as they combined for the next four Patriot's baskets. Both players made their first starts of the new season and they both came up big when they were needed most as their combined eight points over a two-minute span kept UC's comeback hopes alive.
Fitzgerald ended the tandem's string of offense with his fourth and final triple of the contest to give Cumberlands their fourth unanswered basket, making it a 70-69 game with just 2:13 remaining on the clock. The Patriots had found a way to climb all the way back and ready to take home the victory as all the momentum seemed to be on their side.
Georgetown called a timeout after the Fitzgerald three in hopes of quieting the crowd inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center and take the wind out of UC's run. That is exactly what happened as the Patriots went 0-3 from the field the rest of the way en rout to the loss. All three of UC's final looks at the basket fell short as the Tigers played suffocating defense in the waning seconds. No matter what UC tried to run to free up their shooters, a Georgetown defender was there to challenge the shot and hand Cumberlands the three-point loss in their first conference game of the new campaign.
UC will look to zmove to .500 in conference play on Saturday when they take on Campbellsville. That game will be played inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center with tip-off set for 4:00 p.m. following the women's game.
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