Pulaski, TN - The Patriots had three players in double-figures but it wasn't enough as they fell to UT Southern 64-61 to opened a four-game road trip Thursday night. It was a close matchup until the very end as the game hung in the balance until the final shot as UC moves to 7-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Jahi Hinson led the way for Cumberlands with a 13 points and six rebounds in the game. Hinson carved his way into the lane and used a bevy of moves to help him create space in the mad-range, leading to a 6-11 shooting performance. Lamar Harris and Isaiah Payton both turned in solid efforts as well as the tandem both finished with double digits points. Payton did most of his damage early on, scoring five points in the first few minutes on his way to finishing with ten points, with six of those points coming from deep as he shot 2-2 from beyond the arc. Harris opted to do his damage inside as he finished second on the team with 11 points, while tying Hinson and Steven Fitzgerald for the team-lead in rebounds with six rebounds apiece.

The two teams played each other close in the early going as the Patriots held the 14-12 advantage going into the first media timeout of the first half with 12 minutes remaining. Payton was the catalyst for UC's offense in the first eight minutes of action as he led the game with five points with a layup and a made three. Harris also played a key role early on as he recorded four points during that stretch with him throwing down the dunk to score the first points of the game. Payton had the lone three during that stretch of play as Cumberlands looked to pound the ball inside with four of their first five makes coming in close to the basket. That trend continued as the first half moved along as the Patriots found themselves with 12 of their first 17 points coming in the paint. 

Cumberlands found it tough sledding on offense down the stretch of the first half as they went nearly seven minutes without hitting a shot, however, strong defense and hitting free throws kept it a one possession game. A Hinson jumper on the inside broke that cold streak, putting UC back in front at 20-19 game with 5:13 remaining in the opening half. That lead did not last long as the Firehawks went on a 15-5 run over the remaining five minutes to help them put some distance between themselves and the Patriots. UT Southern grabbed the largest lead of the opening half on a buzzer-beating three to put them ahead 35-27 the half.

The Patriots came out of the break strong going on a 7-2 run, capped off by consecutive jumpers from Harris to cut the deficit to 37-34 three minutes into the period.  UT Southern responded with a five point run of their own to extend their lead to 42-34 with 14:54 remaining in the half. Slowly but surely the Patriots worked to cut into the deficit with them eventually finding themselves down only one with 11:02 on a Collin Kelley made free throw, which capped off a 10-2 run. After the timeout by UC at the 15:30 mark, Kelly hit three from the charity stripe as UC added baskets from Austin Hall, Harris, and Hinson, however that was the closest Cumebrlands came as the Firehawks held onto the lead the entire second half.  Every time Cumberlands came up with a made basket or a strong defensive stand during the final ten minutes of play UT Southern had a rebuttal as they were never willing to relinquish their lead. The Firehawks had a "bend, don't break" mentality down the stretch as they kept UC from being able to get over the hump and take the momentum.

Despite being frustrated all night long, coach Daniel's club did not give in during the final minute of play. UC was still within striking distance with one minute remaining as a pair of Fitzgerald free throws made it a 63-58 game with 1:08 to go. Payton followed those free throws up with his second made three of the game with just six seconds remaining to make it a one possession game at 64-61 as UC still had a hope. After the made three the Patriots fouled the Firehawks to stop the clock and send them to the free throw line for the one-and-one. UT Southern missed the front end and Payton came up with the rebound with clock continuing to dwindle. Payton passed ahead to Hinson who fired up the contested three at the top of the key with his shot falling short as UC was unable to climb all the way back to grab the win on the road.

The Patriots will look to regroup this weekend when they take on Life University on Saturday. UC will travel to Marietta, GA to take on the Running Eagles as they try to climb back to .500 in conference play with a win.

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