Williamsburg, KY – The #25 Cumberlands women's basketball team had six players in double figures and excelled on both ends of the court defeating Defiance 101-60 to open the Patriots Classic Thursday afternoon.  With the win, UC improves to 4-0 on the season.

Lakin Burke led the way with 15 points and five rebounds, while Aden Clark notched 13 points, five assists, and four steals.  Jaydyn Carrico and Joy Kendrick combined for 23 points and four steals, while Peyton Mounce chipped in 10 points and seven boards.  Noel Smith tallied a season-high 12 points along with seven rebounds.

Amy  Thompson, who made her first collegiate start, set the tone with  a pair of assists putting Cumberlands in front 4-0.  Lakin Burke added a pair of buckets, including a three-point play to extend their lead to 9-2.  Defiance responded with five unanswered points, before Burke and Darcie Anderson hit back-to-back buckets making it 15-7 midway through the quarter.  Cumberlands continued their tenacious defense tallying six steals and adding nine unanswered points to make it 24-7 with 1:26 remaining.  In the closing seconds of the quarter Jaydyn Carrico completed a three-point play as the Pats took a 29-12 lead after the first quarter. 

Joy Kendrick opened the second quarter with a three-pointer.  The Yellow Jackets went on a run before Kendrick added a jumper and finding Burke for a three-point play to extend the lead to 38-17. The Patriots have worked the transition with back-to-back layups making it 44-21 midway through the second quarter.  UC continues to extend their lead as Mackenzie Babb drained a three-pointer and then added a block keeping the score 50-24 with 3:00 remaining in the first half.  Defiance went on a run, however Carrico added a jumper at the buzzer giving UC the 56-32 advantage.

Both defenses came out strong in the third quarter as Noel Smith notched a steal and on the transition Burke connected with Kendrick for a three-pointer.  UC added seven straight, capped off with a three-pointer from Aden Clark to make it 66-35 with 5:46 remaining.  The two teams traded baskets until Zaram Fredrick added a putback to make it 76-43 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter.  Noel Smtih and Fredricks sank a jumper in the closing seconds of the quarter as Cumberlands took an 80-44 lead.

The two teams traded points to open the fourth quarter as Fredrick scored three straight points for UC to take an 87-48 lead with 6:03 remaining.  The Yellowjackets went on a 10-2 run, before Cumberlands netted nine unanswered including a trio of points from Emily Naranjo for the 101-60 final

Cumberlands returns to the court Friday, November 7^th, when they host Goshen at 11 a.m.

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