Williamsburg, KY – The second-state Patriots utilized a strong second quarter and fended off a late run to defeat seventh-seed Shawnee State 71-66 to advance to the NAIA Final Site and the Round of 16 Saturday night on Randy Vernon Court. Cumberlands improved to 26-5 overall and it marks the third straight year that UC advances to Sioux City.

Kassie Monday led the way for Cumberlands with 18 points, eight assists, and three steals.  The Clarkrange, TN native also netted her 1,900 career point in the win.  Kaylie Monday added 11 points, while LeeAnna McNulty notched 11 points and seven rebounds.  Lakin Burke chipped in 10 points, while Zaram Fredricks grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. 

Kassie Monday opened the scoring with a jumper in the first minute of play.  Fredricks added a putback and grabbed three straight rebounds before Monday converted a jumper and connected with Kaylie Monday for a three-pointer to make it 9-4 with 6:10 remaining.  SSU cut the lead to one point, however, Kassie Monday found Amy Thompson on the wing for a three to extend the lead to 14-10.  UC continued with strong defense to take a 15-12 lead.

The Patriots went on a 9-3 run to opened the second quarter, including seven points from Joy Kendrick, to extend the lead to 24-15 three minutes in.  Cumberlands final six points came from the charity stripe as UC took a 32-21 lead into the break.

Cumberlands opened the third quarter with Burke connecting with Kassie Monday for a jumper giving UC the 34-21 advantage.  After the Bears went on a 6-1 run, McNulty and Fredricks added back-to-back layups to make it 39-27 with 6:28 remaining.  Shawnee State cut the lead to five points before Kassie Monday tallied consecutive dimes to McNulty and Burke to make it 46-36.  Jaiden Cox drained a three-pointer as the Patriots took a 51-36 advantage.

The two teams traded baskets over the first two minutes of the fourth quarter before Kaylie Monday drained a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Cumberlands a 58-42 lead.  SSU went on a 6-0 run, before Patriots responded a with a six-point run of their own capped off with a Kassie Monday steal and found Kaylie Monday in transition for a layup. The Bears went on an 8-2 run before UC sank a pair of free throws to make it 68-56 lead with 40 seconds remaining.  Shawnee State closed out the game on a 10-3 run, however, the Patriots came away with the 71-66 victory.

The Patriots will face third-seed Marian, who defeated Milligan, in the Round of 16.  That game will take place on either Thursday March 20^th, or Friday March 21^st.
 
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics. Please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.