WILLIAMSBURG, KY – The No. 8 Cumberlands men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2026-27 season Thursday night, falling to Rio Grande 86-73 inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center and Randy Vernon Court. The Patriots jumped out to an early eight-point advantage but struggled to find their rhythm from beyond the arc, connecting on just two three-pointers throughout the contest. UC falls to 6-1 on the season while the RedStorm improve to 3-1.

Julian Miles and Abraham Ibezimakor led the Patriots with 13 points apiece off the bench. Miles turned in the best scoring performance of his collegiate career, netting a career-high 13 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. The redshirt freshman also dished out a team-high four assists and went a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. Ibezimakor recorded his fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards. Tajahri Cave and Javecckio Thomas followed with 11 points each, while Trey Johnson added nine. Malachi Robinson contributed eight points, five rebounds, and two steals, while Tanner Walton finished with four points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Cumberlands came out strong as Thomas scored the first four points of the night before Cave added a layup to extend the lead to 6-0. Thomas followed with another jumper to make it 8-0 with just over 15 minutes remaining. Rio Grande answered with a three-pointer, but Jhamien Smith scored inside to give UC a 10-3 advantage. The RedStorm continued to battle back, cutting the lead to 10-8 before Ibezimakor scored in transition and Miles added a layup to push the advantage to 14-8. Miles followed with another jumper, and Ibezimakor converted a three-point play to give Cumberlands a 19-13 lead midway through the half.

The Patriots maintained their advantage as Robinson scored off an offensive rebound before Walton came away with a steal and finished in transition to make it 23-15. Cave added another layup, and Walton scored again off a steal to extend the lead to 27-21. Robinson followed with another putback to make it 29-24, but Rio Grande responded with five straight points to tie the game at 29-29. Johnson scored inside to briefly regain the lead before the RedStorm answered to tie the game at 31. Miles converted three free throws to put UC ahead 34-33 with just over a minute remaining, but Rio Grande scored five of the final six points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to take a 38-35 advantage into halftime.

Cumberlands opened the second half with a layup from Thomas to cut the deficit to one, but Rio Grande answered with a 5-0 run to take a 43-37 lead. Johnson scored inside before Cave added a layup to keep UC within five. The RedStorm continued to find success from the perimeter, extending their advantage to 53-46 before another three-pointer pushed the margin to 10 at 56-46. Ibezimakor responded with a basket inside, but another Rio Grande triple extended the lead to 59-48 with just over 12 minutes remaining.

The Patriots continued to fight as Robinson scored inside and Ibezimakor added another layup to cut the deficit to 63-53. Rio Grande answered with another three-pointer before Cave scored inside to make it 67-55. Johnson converted three free throws, and Cave added another from the line to trim the margin to 69-59 with just over seven minutes remaining. Thomas followed with a layup to bring UC within 10 again, but the RedStorm maintained their double-digit advantage down the stretch. Ibezimakor continued to score inside, while Miles knocked down a late three-pointer and Robinson added a dunk in the final seconds as Rio Grande secured the 86-73 victory.

Cumberlands shot 49.2% from the field but struggled from the perimeter, connecting on just 2-of-18 three-point attempts for 11.1%. The Patriots scored 52 points in the paint and received 39 points from their bench but were outrebounded 30-27. Rio Grande shot 55.6% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 three-pointers while recording 18 assists. UC forced 13 turnovers and recorded 11 steals but could not overcome the RedStorm's efficient shooting performance.

The Patriots (6-1) return to action Friday, November 13, when they welcome Indiana University Southeast to the O. Wayne Rollins Center and Randy Vernon Court in Williamsburg.

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