Williamsburg, KY - Patriot men's basketball used a 10-point second half scoring advantage to defeat Lindsey Wilson 68-60 Saturday afternoon in the Rollins Center. UC closes out their regular season home schedule on a high note with their fifth straight as they improve to 18-10 on the season.
For the 13th time this season, Steven Fitzgerald led the Patriots in scoring, putting up a game-high 17 points to go along with a game-high nine boards to his ledger. Jahi Hinson followed close behind his teammate with 15 points to go along with five rebounds and a game-high four assists. Hinson continues to climb the Patriots record books with today's performance as he became the 11th player to reach 1,500 career points. J.J. Ramey rounded out the double-digit scoring efforts for UC as he finished with 13, five rebounds, and two made triples.
The first half of action was a close one with three ties to along with three lead changes while the deficit through the first 20 minutes was never more than five. The two teams started off trading buckets to a 6-6 score at the 14:34 mark before Lindsey Wilson's Harlan Jackson buried three straight triples to make it a 15-10 with 11:49 to go to give the Blue Raiders the largest lead of the opening half. UC closed the five-point deficit with four straight points as Lamar Harris Jr. caught a lob from Kamari Kenemore before Fitzgerald cut through the back door for a layup off the dime from Austin Hall making it 15-14 with 7:33 remaining. The Blue Raiders extended their lead back to two-possessions however, the Patriots utilized balanced scoring over the final five minutes of the half to cut into the deficit. Head coach Matt Daniel opted to go whoever had the best matchup and that proved to be Ramey, Fitzgerald, Harris Jr., and Hinson each scoring a bucket to keep the game close at 26-24 at halftime.
Cumberlands came out in the second half with six straight UC points by Fitzgerald to put the Patriots in front 30-28, just over a minute in. The came was tied twice before a Ramey drained a pair of three-pointers to put the Patriots in front 40-36 with 13:17 left. Midway through the half, UC went on a 5-0 run to extend their advantage to 45-37. The two teams traded buckets over the next several minutes, before a strong effort from Collin Kelley as he kicked off a strong stretch of play that saw him score seven of UC's 10 points at the 4:57 mark with a made three-pointer that he followed up with a pair of dunks. The second of which ended up being a fast break flush coming with 1:27 left in the game, making it a 61-51 lead that dashed any hope of a comeback. Lindsey Wilson outscored UC 9-7 over the final minute of play for the 69-60 final.
The Patriots will take to the road on Thursday, February 17th, when they travel to McKenzie, Tennessee to take on Bethel. UC will look for their sixth straight victory with their octets against the Wildcats set to begin at 9:00 p.m.
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