Georgetown, KY – The 17th ranked Patriots put up a strong fight on the road against the third-ranked Tigers of Georgetown College on Thursday night but ended up falling short with a final score of 91-85. UC, who entered the contest averaging eight three pointers per game, went just 4-20 from deep, their worst three-point shooting performance this year.
Anthony Johnson led all scorers on the evening with 25 points, four rebounds, and three steals while Matthew Cromer and Anthony Harris added 17 points each. Cromer finished with nine rebounds, and two steals while Harris recorded eight rebounds, and an assist. Harry Morrice was UC's top rebounder with 11 boards. Morrice also had nine points, three assists, and two blocks.
Both teams traded baskets early, with Johnson scoring six out of the first eight Patriot points. Harris was responsible for the other two with a slam off a nice steal from Johnson. GC took an 11-8 lead with 14 minutes to play before back-to-back Cromer buckets made it a one-point game. After a GC bucket, layups from Johnson and DJ Jones gave UC their first lead of the night. Jones then found Johnson for a slam, keeping UC on top. Morrice then knocked down a three, UC's only triple of the first half, to make it 23-20 with 9:15 to play in the half.
Cumberlands held their three-point advantage till the six-minute mark where Georgetown then finished the half on a 15-6 run to take a six-point lead into the locker room. Cromer scored all six points during this stretch.
GC continued their hot streak into the second half of play, growing their lead to as much as 19 over the opening 10 minutes of play. A Cromer three stopped the run, followed by a nice finish from Tajahri Cave. Back-to-back dunks from Harris and Johnson swung some momentum in favor of the Patriots, who then cut the lead to single digits with 6:40 to play. A jumper from Harris and a layup and FT from Cromer and Morrice made it 72-65 GC. The Tigers responded with a three of their own before a Johnson and-one cut the deficit to seven once again.
The Tigers coach was called for a technical, putting Johnson at the charity stripe once again. He went 1-2, then hit another layup to make it a four-point game. The Tigers added a bucket of their own, before a Harris FT and another lay in from Cave made it 77-74 with 2:49 remaining. This would be as close as the Pats would get, as the Tigers responded once again, scoring seven points in the next minute. After ebing forced to foul, a late Brady Bell gave UC their final points of the night, with the final buzzer sounding and GC on top 91-85.
Cumberlands will be back on their home court on Monday for a rescheduled matchup against Johnson University. Tip off is set for 4 PM ET.
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