Bowling Green, KY – The fifth-seed Patriots jumped out to a fast start, however, couldn't rally late falling to fourth-seed Cumberland 68-67 in the quarterfinals of the Mid-South Tournament Saturday afternoon at Bowling Green High School.
Jahi Hinson led the way in scoring with 21 points on a very efficient effort, going 9-12 from the floor while pitching in five boards. He was followed by Steven Fitzgerald who finished with 14 with a trio triples on his ledger to go along with four rebounds. Lamar Harris Jr. also factored heavily into the win with eight points while blocking a pair of shots to help him move up to third in blocks in a single season while the Patriots set the single season blocks record as a team.
The Patriots began the game strong, scoring the first 12 points to claim a dozen-point lead with 15:39 to go in the first half. After Fitzgerald scored the first two points for UC, Hinson tallied seven straight with a mid-range jumper leading the way followed by a triple and layup. Payton then made a layup to make it a double-digit lead for Cumberlands before Fitzgerald split a pair at the free throw line, making it 12-0 in favor of the Patriots. Cumberland responded with a run of their own as they closed the gap and made it a one possession game midway through the first half. The Phoenix looked to work the ball inside with four of their first five makes coming in the paint with the last one making it a 12-9 game at the 12:35 mark.
UC stopped the run in in a big way as a thunderous dunk from Lamar Harris Jr. off the feed from Payton, who nailed a trey in the Patriots' next possession. Harris Jr. then threw it down again before Hinson looked for some point points himself, helping UC go on a 7-2 run and make it a 21-13 game with 8:14 to go. The Phoenix were able to close the deficit and go into halftime up one, 34-33.
The two teams played each other even through the first several minutes with there being only a one-point difference at the 14:18 mark of the second half. Austin Hall began the scoring for UC in the final stanza with a made three-pointer with Kahlil Davis then scoring five straight for the Patriots. He was followed up by a mid-range make from Fitzgerald before a Harris Jr. layup put Cumberlands down just on at 46-45. The Phoenix ended up going on a run thanks to a 9-1 run, giving Cumberland a 55-47 lead with 11:04 to go before it became a back-and-forth contest.
The two teams traded buckets over the next two minutes before an 8-3 run put UC back in front 61-59 with just under six minutes to play. Paint makes from Kamari Kenemore and Hinson began the stretch while threes from Fitzgerald and Davis finished it off to help the Patriots claim their first lead in a dozen minutes. The two teams played each other even the rest of the way, setting up a shot for a buzzer beater by UC at the end. The Phoenix found themselves ahead 68-65 before a Hinson layup made it a one-point game. After a pair of missed free throws by Cumberland, the Patriots grabbed the rebound and called timeout with just two seconds left on the clock. They set to in bounds the ball with a last second heave, but were unable to get off the shot before the clock expired.
UC moves to 20-12 on the season and now await their fate as they look to make it into the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship for the ninth straight time. The teams making to the tournament will be announced this Thursday, March 3rd, while opening rounds are set to being on March 11th.
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