Crestview Hills, KY – In a game that saw ten lead changes and 11 ties, it was Tevin Olison's three free throws with four seconds remaining that proved to be the difference as the (RV) UC men's basketball defeated #20 Thomas More 61-60 Thursday night.  The win is the Patriots fourth win over a NAIA Top-25 opponent this season as they improve to 15-7 overall and 9-7 in MSC play, while the Saints move to 13-5 and 11-5 against the MSC.

Olison led the way for UC with 27 points, going 9-18 from the field, including 5-5 from the charity stripe.  Austin Hall netted a career-high 12 points in the win, while a trio of Patriots, Josh Williams, Collin Kelley, and Kahlil Davis, chipped in six points apiece.  Kelley also grabbed a team-high six rebounds in the contest.

It was a back-and-forth battled right from the opening tip with the first half accounting for seven lead changes and five ties.  UC opened the game with a three from Austin Hall coupled with a jumper for Josh Williams to even the game at 5-5 three minutes in.  Two minutes later, Olison drained one of his four three-pointers in the contest to give the Patriots their first lead of the game at 10-8 with 15:08 remaining. UC outscored the Saints 4-3 over the next five minutes to take a 14-11 lead midway through the first half.  Thomas More retook the lead and extended it to five points a few minutes later, however, the Patriots continued to battle behind back-to-back three's from Kahlil Davis which gave Cumberlands a 24-23 edge with 3:06 left in the first half.  The game was tied twice more after Austin Hall layup with 38 seconds left made the score 28-28 at the break.

The back-and-forth action continued into the second half as the two teams traded a pair of buckets over the openings minutes until a three by Olison at the 18:22 mark put UC in front 35-32.  Baskets by Olison, Kelley, and Mayot helped UC maintain a three-point advantage with 12:42 left.  The Saints went on a 5-0 run to take a 43-41 lead before Hall hit a jumper to even it up midway through the second half.  Hall went on to score the Patriots next five points to keep UC within two at 50-48 with 6:58 remaining.  Trailing by six with three minutes remaining, Olison hit consecutive three's to tie the game at 56-56 with 1:19 left.  The two teams traded baskets before Logan Swackerhammer hit a bucket to put Thomas More up 60-58 with nine seconds left.  On the ensuing Patriot possession, Olison got fouled while attempting a three sending him to the line for three.  The senior sank all three free throws, giving the Patriots their first lead since the 11:29 mark of the second half.  Thomas More's final shot fell short as UC held on for the 61-60 road win.

The Patriots will return to the court Saturday, February 6, when they host #7 Shawnee State. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. with live stats available here and live video available here.

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