Campbellsville, KY – The Patriots took down the Campbellsville University Tigers on the road Thursday night, moving to 10-2 on the season and 4-2 in Mid-South play.
Matt Cromer was one of five Patriots in double figures on the night. The London, KY native made a difference on both sides of the ball, leading all UC scorers with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 assist.
Isaiah Payton tallied 13 points, ten of which he scored in the first half, and added 4 boards and 3 assists to his stat line as well.
Steven Fitzgerald and
Jahi Hinson netted 12 and 11 points each while
J.J. Ramey rounded out the Pats in double figures with 10 points respectively.
Both teams were evenly matched over the opening five minutes of play. Cromer got the night started with an offensive tip in before Payton and Harris knocked down a pair of free throws each. A Ramey drive and finish down the baseline cut the lead to five before
Lamar Harris Jr. hit a turn-around jumper in the lane. Payton knocked down a big three the next possession to tie the game at 13-13 with 14:24 on the clock.
The Tigers scored 13 straight before a Payton lay in halted the run. CU knocked down a three the next trip down the court while Hinson responded with a triple of his own. Cromer and Ramey combined for the next 11 UC points as the scoreboard read 29-34 Tigers with 3:55 left in the half.
Campbellsville netted seven points in the remainder of the half while the Pats scored eight of their own. Payton knocked down his second triple of the night before
Jadrian Flores hit a floater in the paint for his first bucket. A strong defensive effort from
Austin Hall led to Fitzgerald's first make of the night as he hit a quick three from beyond the arc. This cut the Tiger lead to 41-37 heading into the locker room.
The Pats came out hot from three in the second half as Payton and Ramey both knocked down shots from deep. A great second chance effort from Fitzgerald tied the game up at 45-45 before Hinson knocked down a jumper from the foul line to give UC their first lead of the night with just under 15 minutes left to play. CU would hit a layup and a free throw before Hinson hit another shot from mid-range. A Harris steal leading to a fastbreak slam put the Patriots back above the Tigers. Both teams traded baskets including Hinson's third made jumper of the half to give UC the 55-54 lead into the first media timeout of the second half.
A corner three from Cromer off a drive and dish from Hinson extended Cumberlands lead to four, their biggest of the game so far. Four CU points evened the game up at 58 before a strong Fitzgerald finish regained the UC lead. Hall checked into the game and contributed in back-to-back possessions throwing a lob to Hinson then flushing a dunk of his own off a dime from Payton. A Tiger layup made it a one point game once again in favor of the Patriots as they went into the second media stoppage of the half.
UC knocked down another three out of a timeout, this time from Fitzgerald who was rewarded with a good bounce off the rim. A layup and free throw out of both teams kept UC's lead at four before Cromer claimed his third steal of the night and finished the possession with a tip in. The Tigers hit a layup and two free throws to cut their deficit to two with 55 seconds remaining. Back-to-back offensive rebounds out of the Patriots forced a CU foul, sending Hinson to the foul line. The senior missed the front end of a one-and-one, which led to a Campbellsville three point attempt to win it. The shot clanked off the back of the rim and Cromer snagged the rebound at the buzzer to give UC the 72-70 victory.
Cumberlands will be back at home on Saturday to take on Lindsey Wilson College. Gametime is set for 3 PM ET.
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