Williamsburg, KY – The (RV) University of the Cumberlands women's basketball team kicked off their 2026-27 campaign in edging out Tennessee Southern 60-58, Thursday evening at the O. Wayne Rollins Center. It marks the ninth straight year that the Patriots have won their season-opener.
Riley Rarick led the charge for the Patriots with 14 points off the bench.
Aden Clark chipped in 10 points, featuring a pair of three-pointers, while
Taylor King added nine points and two steals.
Gracie Clark and
Eulalia Powell combined for 16 rebounds, 10 points, and four steals in the victory.
In was back-and-forth from the opening whistle as the Firehawks jumped out to a 9-4 lead with 6:31 remaining. Cumberlands battled back with consecutive buckets from Clark and Rarick to pull within one at 9-8. Two minutes later, Powell recorded a block and, on the transition, Rarick finished for a layup giving the Patriots a 10-9 lead. The lead changed twice, as King notched a steal and connected with Rarick for a layup as UC took a 16-13 lead after the first quarter.
It was a defensive battle in the second quarter as both teams struggled from the field. Clark converted a free throw, before
Addison Terry found
Noel Smith for a layup to extend UC's lead to 19-15 midway through the period. UT Southern went on a 7-2 run, before Rarick scored four straight Patriots points giving Cumberlands a 25-23 edge. In the closing minute of the half, Smith tallied a block and, on the transition, Rarick finished giving the Patriots a 28-26 lead at the break.
Cumberlands came out strong in the third quarter with a layup from Clark and a steal and layup from Powell to take the 32-26 advantage with 8:46 remaining. The Patriots went on a 7-2 run, capped off by a three-point from
Annette Miller to extend their lead to 39-30 with 6:15 left. The two teams went traded baskets the rest of the quarter as King and Clark hit three-pointers to give UC a 49-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The two teams traded possession over the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Midway through the period, Terry connected with Clark on the wing for a three-pointer giving Cumberlands a 56-46 lead. UT Southern went on a 12-4 run to pull with two, 60-58, with 53 seconds remaining. The Patriots defense held strong a King forced a turnover giving the Pats the 60-58 victory.
The Patriots return to action tomorrow, Friday, October 23, when they host The Master's in day two of the Patriots Classic. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
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.
