Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots men's basketball team opened their 2024-25 campaign with a dominant 110-60 victory over Campbellsville University Harrodsburg on Tuesday evening. This marks the second straight season that the Pats have begun the season with a win over the Pioneers, scoring triple digits.
12 different Patriots scored on Tuesday, led by Matt Cromer. The senior finished with 21 points and tied for the team best in rebounds with seven, four on the offensive side of the court. Anthony Johnson started the season hot as well, scoring 20 points while Robertas Jonaitis and Ryan Davidson added 12 points apiece.
UC's defense utilized a full-court pressure against CUH, forcing 23 turnovers. Reigning MSC Defensive Player of the Year, Tajahri Cave picked up right where he left off with a game-high five steals and six points. Jonaitis finished the game with three steals while Cromer, and DJ Jones had multiple steals as well. Jones was the final Patriot to finish with double digit points, with 10.
The Pioneers scored the first bucket of the game to take a two-point lead, but a three from Johnson and a dunk from Jonaitis put the Pats on top and they did not look back. The pair scored the next two buckets as well before layups from Cromer, Cave, and Harry Morrice increased the lead to 11. A couple possessions later, Cromer knocked down UC's second three of the game, forcing a timeout as Cumberlands increased the lead 24-8 with 11:30 to play in the half.
A Brady Bell steal after the break led to a Jones layup on the other end, followed by a nice and-one from Cromer to make it a 19-point game. A pair of free throws from Johnson and a tip-in courtesy of Morrice pushed the lead over 20 with less than eight minutes left in the half. Cumberlands outscored the Pioneers 23-15 over the final eight minutes, led by Johnson's eight points and six points from redshirt freshman Ryan Davidson, taking a 58-29 advantage to the locker room.
Cromer opened the second half with six points off another triple and an and-one finish, bringing the Patriot lead to 35. A Bell three and back-to-back buckets from Jones pushed it to 38 before two free throws from Morrice put Cumberlands up 40 with 13:44 on the clock. The next three minutes looked like a dunk contest for the Pats as Jonaitis drove through the lane for a slam before Johnson went three straight possessions with sky-high dunks. Cave capped off the show with steal and slam of his own to bring the UC lead to 50.
The final ten minutes of play saw many Patriots get involved in the scoring as Davidson, Brant Smithers, and Barek Williams all hit their first threes of the year. Kyler McLendon recorded his first collegiate points with a nice finish at the rim followed by Jeremiah Godfrey who earned a bucket of his own for his first two points as a Patriot, eclipsing the century mark for UC as they led 100-55. Godfrey followed that with another bucket off a nice put-back dunk that got the fans back on their feet. Another Smithers triple, and layups from Williams and Davidson capped off the night as the Patriots took the win 110-60.
Cumberlands move to 1-0 on the year, winning their 11th straight season-opener. The Pats will be back on the hardwood in three days as they travel down to the UT Southern Classic. UC will take on Stillman College on Friday at 5 PM ET.
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