WILLIAMSBURG, KY – The No. 10 Patriots earned their first ranked victory of the 2026-27 season Tuesday night, taking down No. 21 Pikeville 76-66 inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center and Randy Vernon Court. Cumberlands overcame a seven-point second-half deficit and closed the game on a 10-0 run, holding the Bears scoreless over the final five minutes to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Patriots' defensive effort proved crucial, forcing 15 turnovers and recording nine blocks and 11 steals in the win.

Brant Smithers led the Patriots with 16 points, connecting on four three-pointers while adding three rebounds and a block. Trey Johnson followed with 15 points off the bench, knocking down three triples, while Javecckio Thomas contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. Malachi Robinson delivered an impressive all-around performance with 10 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, and four steals. Tajahri Cave added six points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Jhamien Smith chipped in six points, three assists, and three blocks.

Cumberlands came out strong as Tanner Walton scored the first four points of the night before Thomas added back-to-back layups to give UC an 8-5 advantage. Robinson followed with a layup and then came away with a steal before converting a three-point play to extend the lead to 13-7. Johnson knocked down a three to push the margin to six, and Ibezimakor added a basket inside as the Patriots maintained their early advantage. Jhamien Smith threw down a fast-break dunk off a Walton steal to make it 20-16 before another Ibezimakor layup gave UC a 22-19 lead midway through the half.

The Bears continued to battle, briefly taking a 23-22 lead before Thomas answered inside to put Cumberlands back in front. Johnson converted two free throws and Thomas scored again in transition to extend the advantage to 28-23 with just over eight minutes remaining. Cave then came away with a steal and found Robinson for a dunk to push the lead to 31-26. Pikeville responded with a late surge, taking a 32-31 lead with just over two minutes left, but Smithers knocked down a three to put UC back ahead 34-32. The Bears answered with a basket in the closing minute, sending the teams into halftime tied at 34-34.

Pikeville opened the second half with a 7-0 run to take a 41-34 advantage before Robinson scored off an offensive rebound to end the drought. Johnson connected from deep to cut the deficit to four, and Robinson added a free throw following a steal to make it 43-40. Jhamien Smith scored inside before Johnson added another jumper to keep UC within striking distance. With the Bears leading 50-46, Smithers knocked down a three to cut the margin to one before Johnson followed with another triple to give the Patriots a 52-50 advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining.

The two teams continued to trade baskets as Pikeville regained a 59-54 lead midway through the half. Johnson answered with a jumper before Smithers connected from beyond the arc to tie the game at 59-59. Thomas followed with a putback to give UC a 61-59 advantage, but Pikeville responded to move back in front 63-61 with just under seven minutes remaining.

Smithers then buried another three to put the Patriots ahead 64-63 before Cave scored inside following a Robinson steal to extend the lead to three. Pikeville tied the game at 66-66 with 5:05 remaining, but Cumberlands took over defensively from there. Cave converted a free throw and later finished a three-point play off an offensive rebound before Walton added a putback to extend the lead to 72-66. Smithers scored the final four points as the Patriots held Pikeville scoreless the rest of the way to secure the 76-66 victory.

Cumberlands shot 39.5% from the field and 29.2% from three while scoring 44 points in the paint. The Patriots grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and scored 15 second-chance points while turning 15 Pikeville turnovers into 19 points. Defensively, UC held the Bears to 35.9% shooting and just 30% from beyond the arc. The Patriots also recorded nine blocks, including four from Robinson and three from Jhamien Smith, while limiting Pikeville to 32 second-half points.

The Patriots (3-0) return to action Friday, November 6, when they travel to Campbellsville, KY for the Campbellsville Classic. UC will open the two-day event against IU Southeast, with tip-off scheduled for 4 PM ET.

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