Pulaski, TN – Anthony Johnson and
DJ Jones combined for 50 points and nine assists to lead the 18
th-ranked Patriots to a 91-83 win over UT Southern Saturday afternoon at Curry Athletic Complex. With the win, UC improves to 3-0 on the season, while the Firehawks move to 1-2.
Johnson led the way with 26 points, three assists, and three rebounds, while Jones added 24 points to go along with six assists and a pair of steals.
Brady Bell and
Tanner Walton chipped in 11 points apiece.
Jones found
Robertas Jonaitis on the post for a layup to open the game. The two teams traded buckets until Bell drained a three-pointer to spark a 7-0 Patriots run giving them a 14-7 advantage three minutes into the game. After UT Southern went on a 15-4 run, that spanned four minutes,
Ryan Davidson sank a pair of free throws and Jones tallied a steal and layup to even the score at 22-22 with 12:50 remaining. A minute later, UC hit a trio of three's to go back in front 31-25. After a 5-0 Patriots run, the Firehawks chipped away at the lead pulling within a point at 36-35 with 6:09 left. Cumberlands closed out the half on a 13-6 run, including seven points from Jones to extend the lead to 49-41.
UT Southern opened the second half on an 11-3 run to tie the game at 52-52 with 16:14 remaining. Johnson led the Patriots response with five straight points before
Brant Smithers chipped in five points to give UC a 64-57 edge with 11:47 left. The Firehawks pulled within a point, 67-66, midway through the second half, however, a three-point play from Jones sparked 10-0 run that was capped off by an Jonaitis dunk extending the lead to 77-66. The two teams went back-and-forth trading points over the final minutes of the game for the 91-83 final.
Cumberlands finished the game shooting 56.4% from the field and 47.4% from long range.
UC will be back in action Wednesday, November 6, when they return home to face Bryan. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with live video available
here.
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