WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - The Tigers took the road to battle the #12 University of the Cumberlands Patriots in the first conference match-up on Thursday night. Although the Tigers more than doubled the Patriots in offensive rebounds, Cumberlands took the victory, 91-86. Over the last ten match-ups, the Tigers and the Patriots have split with five wins each.

Within the first couple minutes of play, both teams landed a basket in their favor, tying the score. The Cumberlands got ahead from the charity stripe, but Cobe Penny retaliated with a jumper. Both teams kept going back and forth over control of the lead, staying within a point from one another in the game's development. The Patriots got ahead of the Tigers with an 11-point run, leaving Campbellsville trailing halfway through the half. Jay Milburn's three back-to-back baskets propelled the Tigers closer to the Cumberlands' lead. Campbellsville claimed the lead at the end of the first half, 36-35.             

At the half, both teams remained relatively close in multiple statistical categories. However, the Patriots significantly surpassed the Tigers in their rotation, collecting 19 bench points to Campbellsville's six.          

In the first five minutes of the second half, both teams kept exchanging hold over the lead one basket at a time, continuously tying the score and stealing the spot on the winning side of the scoreboard from one another. Tyrelle Hunt and Darius Harding propelled the Tigers forward, increasing their advantage to a couple of points ahead of the Patriots. However, the Cumberlands caught up with Campbellsville's offense and put five points between each other on the score. Jace Wallace brought the Tigers closer to the Patriots' hold on the lead, decreasing Campbellsville's deficit in the game. With less than one second left on the clock, Wallace landed a three-pointer nearly 28 feet from the basket. After a timeout at the 0.9-second mark on the clock, the Cumberlands took the win from the charity stripe, 91-86.              

The Tigers significantly outnumbered the Patriots with 12 offensive rebounds to their five. However, the Cumberlands surpassed Campbellsville in most other factors. Wallace recorded a new season high with 25 points in the game's development. Three other Tigers reached double digits during tonight's contest: Harding with 16, Penny with 14, and Milburn with 13.        

The Tigers will be back in action, traveling to Lebanon, Tennessee, on Saturday, January 13th, against the Cumberland University Phoenix starting at 4 p.m. ET.