RIO GRANDE, OH – The 9th-ranked Patriots men's basketball team used a strong second-half surge and several key defensive plays to take down Rio Grande 78-70 on Friday evening. After trailing at the break, Cumberlands outscored the RedStorm by 10 in the final 20 minutes to stay unbeaten and move to 13-0 on the season.
 
Kyle Duke led all scorers with 24 points, going 7-12 from the field and 10-12 from the free-throw line, while adding three assists and a steal. Javecckio Thomas followed with 20 points on 10-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Andrew McConnell added 13 points and two steals, and Anthony Harris provided eight points and solid defensive minutes off the bench. Brant Smithers chipped in five, Tanner Walton scored four, and Abraham Ibezimakor added a key early basket inside.
 
The Patriots opened the game with a Duke jumper to take a 2-0 lead before McConnell connected from deep to make it 5-2. A few trips later, Thomas scored through contact in the lane for a 7-4 advantage. Malachi Robinson made the first major defensive play of the night, blocking a Copas layup at the 16:49 mark, but Rio responded with a quick run to go ahead 13-7. Cumberlands answered as Harris scored six straight points, including a fast-break dunk off a steal by Smithers, cutting the deficit to 17-15 with 12 minutes remaining.
 
After Rio pushed the lead back to six, Thomas and Duke steadied the Patriots with back-to-back baskets before Walton scored off an offensive rebound to make it 19-20. Smithers followed with a layup from the right block to give UC its first lead since the opening minutes. McConnell drilled threes on consecutive possessions to put the Patriots ahead 29-27, but Rio closed the half on a 14-10 stretch and took a 41-39 lead into the locker room.
 
UC came out of halftime with energy as Thomas opened the period with a layup to tie the game, then scored again moments later off an offensive rebound to put the Patriots up 43-41. Thomas then jumped a passing lane and scored in transition to make it 45-41 as UC built early momentum. On the next defensive trip, Duke recorded a steal that led to McConnell sinking two free throws for a 47-41 advantage.
 
Rio closed within three at 47-44, but Duke extended the lead again with four straight free throws before scoring on a drive to make it 51-44. Another key stop came when Robinson secured a defensive rebound that set up a Thomas layup to push the margin to 61-51 with just over 10 minutes to play. Harris added a layup off a Thomas assist, and Smithers hit a three from the left wing to make it 66-53.
 
Down the stretch, Duke delivered twice more at the rim, including a layup at 3:12 to give the Patriots a 71-63 lead. McConnell knocked down two free throws inside the final minute, and Duke added three more at the line to seal the 78-70 victory as the Patriots closed out their 13th straight win.
 
UC shot 57.7 percent from the field and held Rio Grande to just 34.4 percent shooting in the second half. The Patriots won the turnover battle 13-9, scoring 16 points off Rio's miscues while allowing only seven second-chance points. Eleven Patriots saw action, and eight recorded a field goal as UC continued its consistent depth-driven production.
 
Cumberlands (13-0) returns to action on Tuesday, December 16, when they travel to Pikeville for a 6 PM matchup.
 
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