Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots took their third win in MSC play of the season in a 68-61 win over the Bears of Shawnee State University. Cumberlands put together a strong defensive effort, holding SSU to 35.5% from the field and just 61 points, their fewest points scored in a game this season.
 
10 different Patriots scored on the day as senior Jahi Hinson netted 19 points off the bench while Steven Fitzgerald led all starters with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Jadrian Flores and Austin Hall gave UC even more depth off the bench with seven and six points respectively.
 
UC started the day off with a bang as a Lamar Harris Jr. and Isaiah Payton connected on a pick-and-roll that led to a dunk. The next two possessions down the court featured buckets from J.J. Ramey to give UC the 6-0 lead. Four straight points from the Bears was interrupted by Fitzgerald's first points of the game in a three pointer from beyond the arc. SSU tied the game after scoring on consecutive trips down the court. Hinson's first basket came at the 12:58 mark and gave Cumberlands the 11-9 lead.
 
Both teams went back and forth over the next eight minutes of play led by six points from Fitzgerald, four from Flores, and a three out of Hinson. A pair of free throws from the Bears gave them a 26-25 lead over UC with five minutes left in the half. A Hinson jumper and two made shots from the charity stripe allowed the Pats to reclaim the lead. Brady Bell knocked down a free throw with just over three minutes remaining, accounting for UC's final points of the half. A late SSU dunk tied the game at 30-30 heading into the locker room.
 
Shawnee came out hot in the second half outscoring the Patriots 20-8 over the first eight minutes of action. This gave the Bears the 50-38 lead, their largest of the night. Back-to-back layups from Flores and Fitzgerald followed by Hall's first triple of the night cut the deficit to seven.
 
An SSU three extended the lead back to 10 before the Patriots held the Bears scoreless over the next six minutes of play. The Patriots offense scored 16 straight points, including a Kamari Kenemore finish at the rim, threes from Fitzgerald and Hall, and an and-one lay in from Matt Cromer. Another bucket in the paint from Hinson gave UC the 61-55 lead with 6:29 remaining. The final minutes of regulation saw six SSU points while Hinson scored six of his own with a Fitzgerald free throw in between to give UC the 68-61 victory.
 
Cumberlands will be back on the road next week as they travel to Campbellsville on Thursday, Dec. 8th. Gametime is set for 7:30 PM ET.
 
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