Williamsburg, KY -  For the first time under Head Coach Donnie Butcher the (RV) Patriots men's basketball team surpassed the century mark in a conference home game as they defeated Cumberland 102-90 in the Patriots home finale Saturday afternoon on Randy Vernon Court.  With the win, UC improves to 17-8 overall and 11-8 in conference play, while the Phoenix move to 8-12 and 7-11 against the MSC.

For the second straight game, Steven Fitzgerald led the way for the Patriots tying his career-high 24 points.  Fitzgerald went 6-7 from downtown and grabbed seven rebounds in the game.  Seniors Tevin Olison and Josh Williams combined for 38 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Jahi Hinson added 17 points and nine rebounds.  Austin Hall chipped in 15 points, six assists, and two blocks.

The Patriots had four players contribute to an 8-0 run which gave UC an 8-2 lead three minutes into the first half.  The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes until Kahlil Davis found Fitzgerald in the corner for a three to give Cumberlands a 20-14 advantage with 12:47 remaining.  Fitzgerald and Olison hit back-to-back three's to quickly extend UC's lead to 26-16 midway through the first half.  It was a back-and-forth game over the next stretch as the Phoenix cut the lead to six, however, Austin Hall hit a jumper to push the score to 33-25 with 6:30 remaining.  Cumberlands continued to hit shots over the closing minutes of the half until Davis connected with a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining.  The Phoenix answered as Tavon King hit from long range, however, Davis received the inbound pass and fired a 79-footer that went in nothing-but-net to give UC a 51-44 lead heading into the break. 

Cumberland scored four straight points to open the second half, before Hinson found Williams and Hall on consecutive possession to give UC an 56-48 edge.  The Phoenix went on a 10-2 run, over the next two minutes, to which Cumberlands responded with a three-point play from Williams making it 63-58 with 15:39 remaining.  Two minutes later, the Phoenix evened the score at 66-66, however, the Patriots were quick to respond with an Olison buck to put UC back in front.  The two teams continued trading baskets until a three from Olison sparked a 10-2 run which gave Cumberlands an 80-71 lead midway through the second half.  UC added eight unanswered points, which was capped off by a Williams fade-away jumper to give the Patriots an 88-73 lead with 6:12 remaining.  The Phoenix went on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to six-points, however Cumberlands closed out the game with a 12-6 run for the 102-90 final.

The Patriots tied a season-high with 14 made three-pointers and shot 56.0% from behind-the-arc.  UC also converted 12-15 from the charity stripe in the win.

Cumberlands will return to the court Thursday, Feb. 18, when they travel to Hendersonville, TN to face Freed-Hardeman.  Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. EST.

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