New Albany, IN - The Patriots men's basketball team found themselves in a tough road contest against IU Southeast Wednesday night with UC coming out on top 75-68 to improve to 4-0. The two teams played each other even the majority of the contest as the lead was never larger than 11 with Cumberlands and IUSE being separated by single-digits for all but two minutes of the game.

UC used the hot hand in each half to help them keep even with the Grenadiers. In the first half it was Isaiah Payton providing the offensive spark as he went into the halftime break with a team-high 14 points on 4-7 shooting including going 2-4 from deep. 

When play resumed it was Jahi Hinson helping lead UC to the win as he shot 5-10 in the second half while knocking down all five of his free throws to give him 16 in the final 20 minutes and a team-high 21 points on the night. Hinson made his impact felt in more ways than one as he also led the Patriots in rebounds with 12 as he recorded his second double-double 2021-22 and the fifth of his career.

Cumberland started strong as they found themselves on a 15-4 run through the first seven minutes of the game, giving them their largest lead of the game. Payton played a huge role in that stretch for UC lead as he scored seven of the team's 15 points. The junior guard fired the opening salvo from deep before hitting all four of his chances from the charity stripe, helping the Patriots get off to the early lead.

The next seven minutes belonged to the Grenadiers as they went on a 19-8 run to tie things up at 23-23 with 6:45 remaining in the first half. IU Southeast got hot from the field during that streak as they shot 6-9 while nailing two shots from deep after falling behind early on. Despite finding themselves down early on their home court, the Grenadiers let it be known they would not be going away quietly.

The remaining six minutes and change of the opening half was as tight as could be as the lead never grew to more than three the rest of the way. Neither team could grab the momentum and enjoy an extended lead the rest of the first half as neither squad was able to score consecutive buckets. The back-and-forth fight led to the Grenadiers taking a 36-34 lead into the halftime break.

The back-and-forth contest continued when play resumed as the lead never grew to more than six through the first seven minutes of second half action. The Grenadiers found themselves ahead 42-36 with 17:09 remaining but that lead was quickly cut down thanks to Steven Fitzgerald. Last week's Mid-South Player of the Week put together a solid run, scoring seven of the Patriots next 11 points and helping UC take a five-point lead on a jumper by the aforementioned Fitzgerald with 12:36 left in the game. Despite the off night from Fitzgerald from the floor he found ways to contribute and finished tied with Payton for the second most points by a Patriot with 17.

The next ten minutes of action saw the two teams trading baskets resulting in five lead chances and three ties over that stretch. Hinson acted as the offensive catalyst during that stretch as he scored 10 of the team's 19 points. Hinson did his damage from all over the floor during that run as he nailed a three while finishing two layups at the rim and going 3-3 from the charity stripe.

The Patriots were able to grab a 66-64 lead with 2:28 remaining that they would never relinquish thanks to a three-point make from Payton. UC put together one of their strongest runs of the game when they needed it most as they closed out the game after Payton's triple on a 9-4 run to help seal the win. It was Cumberlands great defensive effort down the stretch that helped them earn the victory as their counterpart made only one basket in the final 2:28, moving UC to 4-0 for the fourth time in the past five years.

UC has a quick turnaround as they are set to take on Western Kentucky University in an exhibition on Friday with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The Patriots won't have to wait long to see the Grenadiers again as they are set to face off in their first game of the Cumberlands Classic on Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m.

For the latest information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.