Pikeville, KY – The 9th-ranked Patriots men's basketball team suffered their first setback of the season Tuesday night, falling 86-80 on the road to RV Pikeville inside Appalachian Wireless Arena. Despite leading at halftime and getting a career night from Kyle Duke, a late second-half surge by the Bears handed UC its first loss, moving the Patriots to 13-1 on the year.
 
Duke led all scorers with 32 points, going 11-18 from the field and a perfect 9-9 at the free-throw line while adding six rebounds, two steals, and a block. Brant Smithers came off the bench to deliver 16 points on 4-7 shooting from deep, and Andrew McConnell added 13 points and a pair of triples. Javecckio Thomas posted six points, two assists, and a steal, while Tanner Walton added five points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Anthony Harris and Abraham Ibezimakor chipped in four points apiece for the Patriots.
 
UC opened the game slowly as Pikeville grabbed an early 11-2 lead, but Thomas got the Patriots on the board with a layup before Duke began to heat up, knocking down a jumper to make it 2-4 and another at 13-26 to trim the deficit to 11-15. Smithers provided a spark midway through the half, hitting back-to-back threes and later adding a jumper to bring UC within 14-15. Walton tied the game at 17-17 with a corner three, and Smithers followed with two free throws to give the Patriots a 19-17 advantage.
 
Thomas threw down a dunk on a feed from Walton to push UC ahead 21-17, and Harris scored on two straight possessions to keep the Patriots in front 26-23. Duke regained command of the offense late in the half, scoring four straight to put Cumberlands up 32-29. McConnell added a deep three to make it 35-34, and Duke scored on a drive in the final minute before Smithers drained a three at the one-minute mark to give UC a 40-36 lead. Pikeville scored just before the horn, but UC carried a 40-38 advantage into halftime.
 
The Bears tied the game immediately out of the break and quickly swung momentum, taking a 46-42 lead after a pair of turnovers. Duke responded by scoring four of UC's next six, and McConnell knocked down a three at 15:18 to bring the Patriots within 47-53. However, Pikeville rode a hot stretch from beyond the arc, to extend the lead to 61-47 with just under 13 minutes remaining.
 
UC fought back behind baskets from Thomas and Duke, including a Duke jumper at 12:09 to trim the gap to 53-61. Smithers later added a three to make it 66-53, and Walton converted inside to bring UC within 57-67. The Patriots continued to trade blows in the closing minutes as Duke scored at the rim to pull within 69-74 with 2:48 left, but Pikeville's late free-throw shooting proved decisive. Duke hit another layup at 57 seconds and drained a deep three with 14 seconds remaining, and Smithers added a final triple at the buzzer, but UC could not overcome the Bears' second-half push.
 
Cumberlands shot 49.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three (9-18), but Pikeville's 31-of-34 performance at the free-throw line proved the difference. The Patriots finished with 29 bench points, but turnovers and defensive fouls in the second half swung momentum in the Bears' favor.
 
Cumberlands (13-1) will return to Williamsburg on December 30 as they host Milligan University at 3 PM inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center for their final non-conference matchup of 2025.
 
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on X - @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, YouTube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.