Williamsburg, KY - Cumberlands men's basketball did not skip a beat after having a nearly week off as they were able to win handedly 86-41 over Simmons College Friday afternoon on Randy Vernon Court. The Patriots relied on a strong defensive effort along with solid shooting beyond the arc to grab the win to improve to 7-2 overall.
Matt Cromer led the way for UC as he finished with a team-high 15 points on his way to recording a new career-high in that category. Cromer has hit his stride in his past two game, setting career-highs in both performances with ten in his previous outing. In this contest the Eastern Kentucky transfer did most of his work from deep, going 3-6 from beyond the three-point line as he four boards to his line while also registering a steal and block.
The Patriots started off slow but began to find a rhythm and were able to run their lead to double-digits five minutes into the contest. The Patriots lived in the paint early on with each of their first four baskets coming from inside with Jahi Hinson accounting for two of those makes and Lamar Harris and Steven Fitzgerald on the end of the other two. Isaiah Payton got things going from outside on UC's fifth made shot of the game, making it a 12-5 score with 14:46 remaining in the first half.
Payton's three ball opened up the floodgates from deep for Cumberlands as five of their next eight makes were from long range. Cromer recorded a pair of those made threes while Hinson, Kamari Kenemore, and Collin Kelley each had one triple apiece. Hinson's was the last to fall during that stretch as UC's lead broke 20 points for the first time in the game as they found themselves ahead 34-13 with 7:46 remaining in the opening half of play.
The final seven minutes and change of the first half were closely contested as the Falcons were able to outscore UC 12-9 during that span. It did little to change the outlook as Cumberlands found themselves ahead 43-25 heading to the locker room. UC's defensive effort was huge in helping them gain that halftime lead as they held their opponent to 36.4% from the field (8-22) while forcing 14 turnovers, and allowing no offensive rebounds.
Cumberlands came out of the halftime break ready to resume action as they went on a 16-4 run to help them extend their lead to 30. UC looked for the most efficient shots in that span as all of their makes came either at the rim or on open three-point opportunities. Payton nailed two triples during that run for six points while Harris pitched in five off a three pointer the hard way and a lob dunk with J.J. Ramey beginning the play. Fitzgerald capped off the run to make it a 29-59 game with 15:56 left to go.
The final 15 minutes of action saw the Patriots continue to dominate their counterpart as Cumberlands flirted with doubling up the Falcons for the remainder of the contest. Isaiah Thompson and Kenemore both had six points in those final 15 minutes with Kenemore doing his damage from deep while Thompson pounded the ball inside.
Kenemore finished the game with nine, giving him a career-high as he drained a trio of triples while Thompson finished with a season-high seven. The tandem proved to be solid off the bench
in the big win in more ways than just scoring as Thompson added a season-high five rebounds to his line while Kenemore pitched in a pair of dimes. They helped turn this into a no contest as UC was able to end their five-game home stand the way they were hoping with the big win.
Cumberlands will look to extend their win streak to three straight on Thursday, December 2nd, when they travel to Pulaski, TN to take on UT Southern. Tip-off set for 9:00 p.m. ET.
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