Williamsburg, KY - The Patriots men's basketball team led wire-to-wire with four players in double figures as they defeated Freed-Hardeman 73-63 Thursday afternoon on Randy Vernon Court. It was a tightly contested game throughout as the lead never reach double-digits until the closing seconds as UC improves to 11-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play. 

Steven Fitzgerald led the way for UC once again as he had a team-high 17 points, while finishing tied for a team-high with eight board. Isaiah Payton was not far behind as he had 15 in the game, his most since his career-high 17 against IU Southeast on November 3rd. Lamar Harris Jr. ended up being his usual self on defense, collecting four blocks in the game while putting 13 points on 6-8 shooting. Kahlil Davis rounded out the double-digit efforts finishing with ten as Jahi Hinson chipped in seven points and eight rebounds. 

The Patriots came out strong right from the opening tip as Matt Cromer found Lamar Harris in the paint for a dunk. Harris Jr. followed that up with a block on the other end the Patriots jumped out to a 9-4 lead five minutes into the game. UC continued their offensive attack as Davis and Payton each converted points in the paint over the next couple of minutes to push the lead to 13-8. Freed-Hardeman scored five unanswered to even the score, before Fitzgerald put the Patriots in front with a layup that was coupled with a pair of free throws from Davis to give Cumberlands a 17-13 lead midway through the first half. 

The two teams continued to baskets over the next several minutes as a three-pointer from Fitzgerald along with baskets from Hinson and Harris give UC a 26-20 advantage with 5:50 remaining in the first half. The Lions went on a quick 5-0 run to pull within one, however, the Patriots responded with a Payton layup spark a 9-2 run, to extend the lead to 31-25 with 1:11 left. The Lions added five straight points, however, in the final seconds of the half Fitzgeald grabbed an offensive rebound and tipped it back with time expiring to take a 37-32 lead into the break. 

Both teams came out of the break strong hitting buckets in the early going. After the Lions cut the lead to 41-39, Fitzgerald converted a three-point play to give the Patriots a 44-39 edge four minutes into the half. As the teams continued to swap possession JJ Ramey scored on back-to-back possession as Cumberlands took a 50-46 lead with 12:55 remaining. The Patriots continued to have an answer every time the Lions cut into the lead as Payton connected with Harris for a dunk before draining a three-pointer at the 8:39 mark to keep UC in front. Cumberlands went on a 7-4 run, that spanned four minutes, to push they lead to 64-57 with 3:50 left. The Patriots closed out the game on a 9-3 run, including going 6-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch for the 73-63 final. 

Cumberlands converted 88.9% (16-18) from the charity stripe in the game and finished the game with nine team blocks and six steals. 

UC will stick around their friendly confines for their next game as they are set to host Bethel University on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Patriots will look for their fourth win in five MSC matchups when they take on the 10-5 Wildcats. 

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