Portsmouth, OH – A career night from Steven Fitzgerald was not enough for the Patriots as they fall to Shawnee State. UC moves to 11-7 and 5-7 in Mid-South play after their 77-86 loss to the Bears who were receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
 
The senior out of Somerset, KY went off for 31 points off 12-17 shooting from the field including five made three pointers. Jahi Hinson followed with 18 points of his own while Matt Cromer was the third leading scorer with nine points and added five boards as well. Lamar Harris Jr. and Kamari Kenemore both tallied six points and five rebounds for UC also.
 
The Bears opened the night off with five straight points before a Fitzgerald three got the Pats on the board. SSU knocked down two more shots with Hinson getting a bucket himself to make it a 9-5 game after three minutes of play. The next 10 minutes of play was all Shawnee as they went on a 26-9 run. A Hinson and Fitzgerald rallied for five points to end the run followed by a Harris Jr. dunk.
 
The final three minutes of play was dominated by Hinson who knocked down a pair of threes and a layup. Harris Jr. made the final bucket of the half to bring the score to 31-48, giving the Bears a 17 point lead after 20 minutes of action.
 
Fitzgerald opened the second half with a jumper to make it a 15 point game. Both teams went back and forth over the next four minutes as Cromer hit a pair of threes followed by a Kenemore triple as well. Lay-ins from Austin Hall and Fitzgerald brought the score to 61-46 with 14:37 remaining.
 
The scoring duo of Fitzgerald and Hinson continued to lead UC as they combined for 11 straight points. A Cromer three cut the lead to 11 before Fitzgerald knocked down back-to-back triples to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time in the half. Hinson drew a foul and knocked down two free throws with 2:13 left on the clock to make it a 68-75 Bears lead.
 
SSU finished the game going 11-14 from the charity stripe to put the game out of reach. A late Brady Bell three and Fitzgerald's 31^st point of the night were not enough as UC fell 77-86.
 
The Patriots will look to get back to winning ways on Saturday as they host Pikeville at home at 3 PM ET. UC beat UPIKE earlier this year on the road.
 
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