Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots brought home a top-10 win at home on Saturday in a physical matchup with the sixth ranked Freed Hardeman Lions. UC outlasted FHU 91-84 to split the series this year and move to 21-2 on the year, and 7-1 in MSC play.
 
Anthony Johnson led the offensive charge for the Pats with 21 points off the bench. Jonathan Brown added 15 pts, 3 reb, and 2 ast while Robertas Jonaitis recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Both Johnson and Jonaitis finished a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Harry Morrice netted 13 points and finished with five boards and a pair of monster blocks. J.J. Ramey was the final double-digit scorer for Cumberlands on the afternoon 1ith 10 points respectively.
 
The Lions jumped out to a 14-6 lead over the opening six minutes of play with UC scoring off layups from Matthew Cromer and Tanner Walton along with a steal from brown that led to a slam. An easy Morrice tip-in cut the deficit to six before two big threes from DJ Jones and Tajahri Cave tied the game at 14. Both teams continued to go back and forth as the score was tied once again at 25-25 with just under eight minutes in the half. Four points from Johnson led this stretch before Cromer notched a steal and pulled up for three in transition.
 
UC rattled off seven straight points off a turn around jumper from Morrice, a steal and lay in from Jones, and a Ramey to take a 32-25 lead. The Lions answered right back seven points off their own to tie things up once again. A contested jumper from Brown fell with three minutes to play followed by a step-back three out of Morrice to put UC on top 37-34. Morrice continued his hot half with another tip-in for his 11^th point of the game. Brown drew a foul at the end of the half and knocked down both free throws as UC took a 41-36 advantage into the half.
 
The second half was a physical battle on both sides that saw 45 combined free throws from both teams. It started with a quick bucket out of Jonaitis followed by a free throw from Brown to put UC up eight. The Lions cut the lead to four but could not stop Brown who scored on back-to-back possessions. A pair of Cromer FT's and a nice finish from Johnson at the rim saw UC's lead stretch to 12 with 11:55 remaining.
 
The next 10 Patriot points came from the line while the Lions added six free throws of their own. A lob from Cromer to Ramey got the crowd on their feet before threes from Johnson and Ramey gave UC a 20-point lead.  The final seven minutes was plagued with fouls from both sides. Freed Hardeman tried to fight back, outscoring UC 30-16, 11 coming from the charity stripe alone. But this was not enough as UC came out victorious 91-84. Johnson ended the game with six more points to put him at 21 on the night. Brown finished strong with a pair of baskets while Cromer, Morrice, and Jonaitis each added a basket themselves.
 
This marks the second top-10 win of the year for Cumberlands, as they beat the 3^rd ranked Georgetown Tigers earlier this year as well. UC looks to add to their win column on Thursday as they host Lindsey Wilson. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM in the O. Wayne Rollins Center.
 
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