Bowling Green, KY - The Patriots earned their third win over the Cumberland Phoenix this year, advancing to the semifinals of the Mid-South Conference tournament. UC took the victory in convincing fashion, 100-81.
 
Five Patriots finished in double figures led by Matthew Cromer's 20-point performance. Robertas Jonaitis also had a great game putting up 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists, and was named player of the game as well. Anthony Johnson added 17 points off the bench while Jonathan Brown and J.J. Ramey scored 14 and 10. Harry Morrice was dominant on the glass with a team high nine boards and added eight points on the offensive side.
 
The game started as a back-and-forth battle between the Pats and the Phoenix. Cromer hit a three to start the scoring. A Jonaitis tip-in and four points from Ramey, including a steal that led to a slam, brought the score to 9-9 after five minutes of play. The Pats would stretch their lead to seven before CU battled back and took the lead with 6:28 to play in the half.
 
 Three straight layups from Brown, Jonaitis, and DJ Jones put the Pats back on top before a Cumberland U basket stopped the streak. Ramey got to the foul line the next possession, hitting one of two before another Cromer three stretched Cumberlands lead to five. Two more free throws out of Jones and a nice tip-in from Morrice saw UC get their biggest lead so far at 42-34 with a little under three minutes to play in the period. The Phoenix cut their deficit to five with thirty seconds on the clock, but a Brown three at the buzzer put the Patriots back up eight and gave them momentum heading into the second half.
 
Cromer started the second half on fire, scoring UC's first seven points. Ramey made a nice move to get to the rim and bring the score to 57-46 with 16 to play. CU rattled off five straight, but the Pats responded with a pair of threes from Cromer and Johnson as the lead grew back to double digits. Both teams traded buckets before Brady Bell, Morrice, and Robertas combined for eight points in one minute to give UC a 15-point lead. Three more layups out of Johnson, Jonaitis, and Brown saw UC's lead grow even larger to 79-59 with 9:06 remaining in the contest.
 
UC remained steady, keeping their lead around the 20-point mark for the remainder of the night. The final nine minutes saw Jonaitis score seven points with Johnson adding six. Tanner Walton and Justin Sharp also got in on the action, eaching drawing a foul and getting to the charity stripe. Walton knocked down both his shots while Sharp went one for two. Jonaitis ended the night with his first three of the season, and the final horn sounded with UC moving on to the next round 100-81.  
 
 Cumberlands will be right back at it tomorrow at 7:30 PM CT for the semifinals where they take on Georgetown College. The Tigers defeated Bethel today to advance to the semis. Both teams split the regular season matchups, each winning their home contest.
 
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