Henderson, TN – The sixth-ranked Patriots women's basketball team utilized timely shooting and stifling defense to earn the 70-52 road win over seventh-ranked Freed-Hardeman Thursday night.  With the win, UC improves to 24-3 overall and 10-1 in Mid-South play, while the Lions move to 23-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play.

Kaylie Monday led the charge for the Patriots with 21 points, four rebounds, and two steals.  Kassie Monday chipped in 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists to become the first Patriot player with three straight seasons over 200+ assists as her 204 assists this season rank third.  Joy Kendrick added 13 points, on 3-4 from behind-the-arc, to go along with five rebounds, as Lakin Burke grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to go along with seven points and four steals. 

Cumberlands jumped out to a 5-0 lead as Zaram Fredricks made a layup before Kaylie Monday notched a steal and three-pointer a minute into the game.  The Patriots defense has stepped as Kassie Monday and Lakin Burke both recorded steals over the next three minutes of action.  The Pats extended their lead a few minutes later as Kaylie Monday hit a reverse layup to make it 8-2 with 4:28 remaining.  Kassie Monday added a jumper before the Lions scored four straight points to tie the game at 10-10 with 2:05 remaining.  Kaylie Monday notched her 90^th steal of the season, which move her into third all-time before Kaylie Fultz added a putback to give UC a 13-12 edge.

Kassie Monday hit a jumper before Joy Kendrick found Lakin Burke on the block for a layup to extend the lead to 17-12, two minutes into the second quarter.  Kaylie Monday netted UC's next five points as Cumberlands extended their lead to 22-14 midway through the quarter.  Less than a minute later, Kaylie Monday found Kassie Monday on the wing for a three-pointer, before LeeAnna McNulty added a putback to give UC a 27-14 advantage.  After Freed-Hardeman went on a 6-2 run before Kassie Monday connected with Kendrick for a jumper to give the Patriots a 31-20 lead at the break.

Just over two minutes into the third quarter, Kassie Monday drained a jumper before Burke kicked it out to Kaylie Monday for a three-pointer to make it 36-23. Both teams kept up the defensive intensity as Freed-Hardeman netted four points before Kassie Monday connected with Kendrick on consecutive possessions for three-pointers to make it 42-27 with 1:49 remaining. Kendrick added her third three-pointer of the quarter before Kaylie Monday notched a putback layup as time expired to give Cumberlands the 47-31 lead.

The Lions opened the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to pull within nine points, however, the Patriots responded with a three-pointer from Kaylie Monday extending the lead to 52-40.  The next possession, Kassie Monday pulled up from long range to make it 55-40 midway through the period.  Jaiden  Cox, Kaylie Monday, and Kassie Monday each hit from behind-the-arc giving the Patriots the 64-44 lead with 2:38 remaining. 

Cumberlands hit 50% from behind-the-arc in the game (12-24) and outrebounded the Lions 40-33 in the game.

The Patriots close out their regular season on Saturday, February 22, when they travel to McKenzie, TN to face #14 Bethel.  Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (ET).
 
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