Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots utilized a solid defensive effort to earn an 80-63 victory over the Bethel University Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. UC tied their season-high in blocks with nine and held the Wildcats to just 24 first-half points, while forcing 18 turnovers. Cumberlands move to 14-4 on the year and 3-0 in Mid-South Conference action.
 
Anthony Johnson led all scorers with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds along with two assists and two steals for his first double-double as a Patriot. Robertas Jonaitis scored 15 points, six rebounds, and two blocks while Matthew Cromer rounded out the Pats in double figures with 14 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, and 4 stl. Harry Morrice added nine points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and one assist.
 
Johnson started the game with a nice finish at the rim to get the scoring going. BU responded with four points to take a two-point lead, their only lead of the game. This did not last long as Cromer found Morrice for an easy slam followed by a Jonaitis three off a nice find from Johnson. A Cromer steal and score increased the lead to five prior to another triple, this time from Johnson made it 12-4 with 15:02 on the clock.
 
The Pats went scoreless for the following five minutes but did not let up on defense as blocks from Morrice, Cromer, and Ryan Davidson held the Wildcats to just five points over this stretch. A nice tip in from Cromer stopped the drought before Johnson knocked down his second three of the afternoon. Free throws from Johnson and Cromer held UC's lead a big triple from Brady Bell and another nice layup from Johnson stretched the lead to double digits. The final five minutes of the half saw UC outscore BU 14-9 to take a 40-24 lead into the break. This stretch was highlighted by a pair of dunks out of Jonaitis and Anthony Harris as well as buckets from Tajahri Cave, Cromer, and Johnson.
 
UC started the second half with a 7-0 run as Morrice hit a three followed by two FT's from Jonaitis and a Cromer lay-in to put the Pats up 23, their biggest lead of the game. The Wildcats fought back to within 12, but a Johnson slam and a DJ Jones pull up jumper, after making his defender fall, put them back up 16. Both teams traded buckets, as UC held a consistent 16-point lead up to the four-minute mark.
 
Another Morrice slam gave the big man his ninth point of the night. The Patriots extended their lead to 20 after a pair of layups from Harris and Cave along with a Harris triple. The final buzzer sounded with UC taking the win, 80-63.
 
The Pats are now 14-4 on the year and look ahead to next week where they will host the top-ranked team in the nation Georgetown College. Opening tip is scheduled for 7:30 PM ET in Williamsburg, KY.
 
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