Lebanon, TN - After having a full week off, Cumberlands took the floor against the Phoenix ready to grab their third straight conference win. It was not quite in the cards for the Patriots, though, as they fell by a final of 71-63. 

For the fourth consecutive game, Steven Fitzgerald was the team's leading scorer finishing with 19 points and six rebounds. Fitzgerald got it going early on as he had 11 of the team's first 19 points. Jahi Hinson followed netting 17 points, with most of his damage coming in the second half as he had 13 points in the final 20 minutes of action. Lamar Harris Jr. joined the other two Patriots in double figures with a dozen to go along with five boards and two blocked shots. 

Things were tight in the early going of the contest as neither team was able to jump out to an early sustained lead. Lamar Harris Jr. got the scoring started with a fadeaway jumper with Steven Fitzgerald to follow with a tip-in off an offensive rebound, giving the Patriots a 4-0 lead. The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes as the game was evened at 8-8 with 15:43 to go. The game was tied two more times before Fitzgerald drained a three-pointer and followed it with a layup with 10:28 left on the clock to put UC in front 17-14. The Phoenix went on an 11-2 run, over a five minute span, to take a 27-21 lead with 4:03 remaining. Hinson led the Patriots response with four straight points, however, Cumberland converted a pair of shots in closing minute to take a 31-25 lead at the break. 

Cumberland opened the second half on a 10-0 run, before Harris found Fitzgerald in the lane for a bucket to cut the deficit to 41-27. Harris and Hinson both hit from deep to spark a 10-2 Patriot run as UC pulled within eight at 45-37 with 13:14 remaining. The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes of the game until J.J. Ramey triple at the 8:18 mark cut the deficit it 60-51. Ramey's three-ball sparked a 14-4 run, that included eight points from the duo of Harris and Hinson, to cut the deficit to 64-62 game with 2:38 left to go. Unfortunately for the Patriots, that was as close as they were able to get as they could muster only on more point the rest of the way while Cumberland extended their lead back out. The Phoenix hit five free throws over the course of the final two minutes to help them seal the win as they finished ahead 71-63. 

The Patriots will look to regroup in their next game as they are set to take on Life. UC will host the Running Eagles for that contest inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center with tip-off set for 8:00 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.