BOWLING GREEN, KY – UC saw their Mid-South Conference Tournament run come to an end Sunday night, falling to Bethel University (Tenn.) 80-76 in overtime inside Bowling Green Arena. Cumberlands led by as many as 14 in the first half and carried a 37-25 advantage into halftime, but Bethel rallied in the second half and closed out the extra period at the free-throw line to advance.
 
Javecckio Thomas led the Patriots with 22 points and 11 rebounds while adding two steals and three blocks. Kyle Duke finished with 18 points, and Andrew McConnell added 10. Brant Smithers chipped in 14 points off the bench, knocking down four three-pointers. Malachi Robinson scored six points and had a pair of blocks, while Brady Bell and Ikemba Otuonte added six points combined.
 
Cumberlands opened the game with strong defensive energy, jumping out to a 6-0 lead behind baskets from Duke and Thomas. A Smithers three at the 13:54 mark extended the lead to 13-4, and Thomas followed with back-to-back layups to push the margin to 19-6.
 
Duke added another basket in the paint and Smithers connected from beyond the arc again as the Patriots built a 33-21 advantage. Otuonye's layup with 1:44 remaining in the half gave UC its largest lead at 35-21 before Duke scored in the final seconds to send Cumberlands into halftime up 37-25.
 
Bethel responded in the second half, trimming the deficit to 43-38 before Thomas answered inside to keep the Patriots ahead. A Smithers three at 12:12 made it 51-49, and another triple from Smithers at 8:10 pushed the lead to 58-55.
 
 McConnell followed with a layup at 7:31 to extend the advantage to 61-55. However, Bethel continued to chip away and eventually tied the game at 69-69 with 31 seconds remaining. Duke answered with a layup to put UC back in front 69-67 with 48 seconds on the clock, but Bethel scored in the final seconds to force overtime at 69-69.
 
The Wildcats started the overtime period with a quick basket before Thomas answeredwith a layup to tie the score at 71-71 before converting two free throws to give UC a 73-71 lead. A Robinson and-one made it 76-73, but Bethel responded with a pair of baskets to reclaim the lead at 79-76 with 14 seconds remaining. BU would eventually take the 80-76 victory to halt UC's MSC Tourney run.
 
Cumberlands shot 45.6 percent from the field and 19.2 percent from three while recording 39 rebounds and eight blocks. The Patriots also held Bethel to just three made three-pointers but were outscored 55-39 after halftime and in overtime combined.
 
The Pats will now await the release of the NAIA Opening Round Brackets which are set to come out next week.
 
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