Williamsburg, KY – The Patriots put on an impressive performance in the NAIA First Round on their home court on Friday afternoon. UC cruised to an 85-71 win over the 13th seeded Milligan Buffaloes. Cumberlands outscored their opponents 49-35 in the first half, and never looked back. The defense tallied 12 steals ion the day, forcing the Buffaloes to turn the ball over a total of 15 times.
Anthony Johnson was the leading scorer in the game with 25 points. He added four rebounds and an assist as well. DJ Jones had an amazing game for UC as well, tying his career-high with 24 points, 6 reb, 3 ast, and 3 stl. Matthew Cromer scored 10 points as the final Patriot in double figures, adding five rebounds, two assists, and two steals as well.
The Buffaloes started the game hot, jumping out to a 6-0 lead before a nice layup from Tajahri Cave got UC on the board. A Jones three, followed by a bucket from Robertas Jonaitis and a free throw out of Johnson gave the Pats their first lead of the game, 9-8 after five minutes of play. MU responded right back, regaining their lead, and going ahead by as much as six. Jones halted the Buffaloes run with a nice jumper in the paint, followed by a lay in from Johnson and a steal and bucket from Brady bell to tie things up at 17-17 with 10:50 on the clock.
After MU scored to break the tie, Jones found Jonaitis for a slam, and then knocked down another jumpshot of his own to give UC back the lead. This sparked an 11-0 run that saw UC take a nine-point lead. Three straight steals from Cromer, Anthony Harris, and Cave led to three easy layups in transition to cap off the run. After a pair of MU scores, Johnson hit a turn around jumper, followed by a Cromer step-back three to give the Pats their first double-digit lead of the game, 33-23. UC held this lead over the next five minutes, as three buckets from Jones and a three from Harris highlighted the stretch, bringing the score to 44-34 with a minute to play in the half. MU added one point off a free throw, before an offensive board from bell led to a Jones layup with less than 10 seconds to play. Jones then stole the inbound pass and kicked it out to Bell for a three as time expired, putting UC up 49-35 at the break.
Cromer opened the second half with a three off a nice pass from Johnson to move the lead to 17. MU clawed back to within 11, before a Jones offensive rebound and bucket made it 54-41. The following possession, Jones earned another steal and laid it up on the other end for an and-one. Two free throws from Johnson after an MU technical extended the lead to 18. Johnson was responsible for UC's next seven points to keep the lead at 18, before a layup from Cromer and a Bell dunk in transition saw the lead grow to 21 with 11:49 to play.
Scores from Cave, Jonaitis, and Jones made it 77-52 as UC continued to control the game. Tanner Walton got in on the scoring with a nice floater to keep UC ahead by 23 with 4:10 left. Seven-straight Milligan points cut their deficit to 16, but it was too-little too-late as a pair of Jones FT's stopped the run and momentum. A late free throw from Jonaitis brought the score to 85-71, and that held true until the final buzzer as UC earned a spot in the NAIA Second Round tomorrow afternoon.
The Pats will look to win their second consecutive NAIA First and Second Round Title at home tomorrow. They will take on the #5 seed Mobile, who defeated IU Northwest in double overtime today. Tip-off is set for 3 PM ET, with the winner advancing to Kansas City for the NAIA Final Site Round of 16.
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