Williamsburg, KY – The 13^th-ranked UC women's basketball team utilized a strong third quarter to pull away and defeat Milligan 91-83 in their home opener Thursday night.  With the win, the Patriots improve to 3-0 on the season.

Kassie Monday led the way with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds, while LeeAnna McNulty tallied 13 points, while Kaylie Monday chipped in 12 points, five steals and five boards.  Channing Lewis also notched 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds as Amerah Steele finished with nine points.

Lakin Burke opened things up for Cumberlands netting four of UC's first six points to give them a 6-5 edge.  The two teams traded possession until Steele connected with Kaylie Monday for a three-pointer putting the Patriots in front 13-12 with 3:18 remaining.  Destiny Haworth and Steele each added a bucket in the final minute giving UC a 17-15 lead.

Lewis and Kassie Monday combined for five points to start the second quarter extending the Patriots lead to 22-17, two minutes in.  After Milligan evened the score Lewis found Amy Thompson cutting down the lane to put the Patriots up 27-25 midway through the period.  The Buffaloes went on a 9-0 run before Monday found Thompson on the wing for three to cut the deficit to 34-30.  UC converted four free throws as Lewis netted five straight points to give UC a 42-41 edge.  In the closing seconds of the half, Kaylie Monday found McNulty for a jumper as the Patriots took a 44-42 lead at the break.

McNulty sparked Cumberlands third quarter run with five points as the Pats took a 53-46 lead with 7:24 remaining.  Joy Kendrick added a jumper as the teams continued to trade buckets over the next few minutes as a Steele layup made it 63-55 with 3:23 left.  Kaylie Monday added a late three-point to give UC a 70-62 edge heading into the fourth quarter.

Kassie Monday notched a steal and layup to extend Cumberlands lead back to double-digits.  The two teams battled back-and-forth as Emery Baragona converted a layup to make it 78-6 with 6:13 remaining.  Kassie Monday and McNulty combined for UC's final 13 points of game as the Patriots held on for the 91-83 win.

The Patriots return to the court Friday, November 3, when they host Simmons.  Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. with live video available here.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.