WILLIAMSBURG, KY – The No. 6 Patriots men's basketball team saw its home winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon, falling 90-63 to No. 2 Freed-Hardeman University inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center. Cumberlands struggled to keep pace with the visiting Lions' hot shooting, as Freed-Hardeman shot over 58 percent from the field and 65 percent from three in the loss.
Anthony Harris provided a spark off the bench, leading UC with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting,.
Javecckio Thomas finished with 13 points while adding five rebounds and four steals. and
Brant Smithers finished with eight points.
Malachi Robinson chipped in six points,
Andrew McConnell added seven, and
Kyler McLendon scored five as 11 Patriots finished in the scoring column.
Freed-Hardeman took control early, using efficient shooting from beyond the arc to build a double-digit lead midway through the first half. Cumberlands had difficulty finding rhythm offensively, shooting just 34.5 percent from the field in the opening period, and went into halftime trailing 46-32.
The Patriots continued to battle in the second half, with Thomas and Harris scoring inside to keep UC within reach early. However, Freed-Hardeman extended the margin with another strong shooting stretch, pushing the lead past 20 midway through the half and closing out the 90-63 victory.
Cumberlands finished the afternoon shooting 34.5 percent from the field and just 6.7 percent from three, while going 22-of-33 from the free-throw line. The Patriots forced 13 turnovers but were unable to overcome the shooting disparity.
UC will return on Monday where they will host Campbellsville at home to make-up the game that was originally scheduled for last week. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM ET.
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