Bowling Green, KY – The Patriots fell just short of a Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship on Tuesday night with an 86-79 loss to Freed Hardeman. The first half saw great defense from both sides, followed by a second half that featured 53 free throws combined.
The Pats' leading scorer was Anthony Johnson who finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, going 12-16 from the charity stripe. DJ Jones added 19 points off the bench, had four steals, and went 9-11 from the foul line. Matthew Cromer was the final Patriot in double figures with 14 pts, 7 reb, and 3 stl.
Harry Morrice and Anthony Harris scored the opening two buckets for the Pats before Cromer knocked down a three to put UC on top 7-5. Baskets from Johnson and Ryan Davidson kept UC's lead at two before FHU responded with an 8-0 run to take a six-point lead. Two free throws from Robertas Jonaitis and a lay in from Tajahri Cave brought the score to 19-15 with six minutes in the half. Both teams went back and forth, as Freed-Hardeman outscored UC 11-10 to take a 30-25 lead into the break.
Davidson started the second half with a three off a nice pass from Harris to make it a one-possession game. Neither side could break away over the next five minutes, as a triple from Johnson kept UC's deficit as two points. With 12:49 to go, the Lions scored nine unanswered to stretch their lead to 11.
The final eight minutes of play saw both teams get to the foul line at will. Jones was key for UC over this stretch, nailing two threes and five free throws. He pulled UC back within single digits at the three-minute mark before FHU went one for two at the free throw line to move back up by ten. Four straight Patriot free throws, two from Cromer and two from Johnson, then brought UC back to within six with 1:22 left. Another FHU free throw pushed the lead back to seven before Johnson drove to the rim and finished through contact to make it 81-76 with just 47 seconds left. This would be as close as the Pats came, as three more Lions foul shots and a layup stretched the lead back to 10 with less than 10 seconds left. Johnson capped the night off with a deep three to bring the final score to 86-79.
The Patriots will now set their sights on the NAIA First and Second Rounds which will be hosted at home in Williamsburg, KY. The NAIA Selection Show is scheduled for Thursday the 6th, with games set from the 14th and 15th of March.
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