CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY – Behind seven three-pointers from Brant Smithers and timely baskets down the stretch, the No. 10 Cumberlands men's basketball team held off Goshen College 84-78 Saturday afternoon to complete a perfect weekend at the Campbellsville Classic. The Patriots built a 17-point first-half advantage before the Maple Leafs rallied to make it a one-possession game late in the second half. UC responded with key baskets in the final minutes to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Smithers led the Patriots with a game-high 27 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 7-of-11 from beyond the arc. The senior guard scored 21 points in the second half, connecting on five triples after halftime to help UC hold off the Goshen comeback. Trey Johnson followed with 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals, while Tajahri Cave added 10 points and three assists. Tanner Walton contributed eight points and four assists, while Javecckio Thomas finished with seven points, five rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
Abraham Ibezimakor led UC on the glass with nine rebounds, including three offensive boards, while adding six points. Malachi Robinson also scored six, while Julian Miles chipped in four points and three assists. Jhamien Smith rounded out the scoring with two points. Cumberlands outrebounded Goshen 35-26 and recorded 19 assists on 32 made field goals.
The Patriots opened the contest with a strong offensive start as Thomas scored inside before Smithers knocked down consecutive three-pointers to give UC a 10-2 lead. Robinson added a jumper off a Goshen turnover to push the advantage to double digits at 12-2. The Maple Leafs responded with five straight points, but Ibezimakor scored inside before Johnson and Miles added baskets to extend the lead to 18-12. Ibezimakor followed with a putback to give Cumberlands a 20-12 advantage midway through the half.
Goshen trimmed the deficit to 23-19 with under eight minutes remaining, but Johnson converted two free throws before Robinson scored inside and Thomas connected from deep to push the Patriots ahead 30-19. Walton then scored in transition, and Thomas followed with another basket to extend the advantage to 34-19. Walton added a putback before Jhamien Smith knocked down a jumper to give UC its largest lead of the afternoon at 38-21 with 3:10 remaining. The Maple Leafs closed the half with 12 unanswered points, however, cutting the Patriots' lead to 38-33 at the break.
The Maple Leafs continued their comeback to begin the second half, cutting the deficit to 40-38 before Walton scored inside and Smithers knocked down a three-pointer to push the lead back to seven at 45-38. Goshen answered with another pair of triples to cut the margin to 47-44, but Smithers connected from beyond the arc again before Walton scored in transition to make it 52-44. Cave added two free throws, and Smithers followed with back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to 60-51. The senior continued his impressive stretch with a layup and two free throws, while Miles scored inside to give UC a 66-52 advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Cumberlands maintained control midway through the half as Johnson scored inside before Smithers buried his seventh three-pointer to extend the lead to 71-56. Ibezimakor added a layup, and Cave finished in transition to make it 75-62 with 7:18 remaining. Goshen then mounted another rally, scoring nine straight points to cut the deficit to 75-71 with 5:40 left. Johnson answered with a crucial three-pointer to push the lead back to seven, but the Maple Leafs continued to battle, eventually trimming the margin to 78-75 with just under two minutes remaining. Cave responded with a layup to make it 80-75 before Johnson came away with a steal and finished inside to extend the advantage to seven. Goshen connected on a late three, but Johnson knocked down two free throws in the final seconds to secure the 84-78 victory.
The Patriots finished shooting 47.1% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range while scoring 42 points in the paint. UC grabbed 10 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second-chance points and converted 16 Goshen turnovers into 22 points. The Patriots also received 26 points from their bench while limiting the Maple Leafs to just four offensive rebounds.
Cumberlands (5-0) returns to Williamsburg on Tuesday, November 10, when the Patriots host Johnson University inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center and Randy Vernon Court.
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