Box Score WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. -- Offense was hard to come by for the Lindsey Wilson College men's basketball team as it lost to 19th ranked University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 60-42 on Saturday at the O. Wayne Rollins Center.
Junior Charles Baker led Lindsey Wilson as the only player in double figures with 14 points and five rebounds. Junior Chase Spreen added eight points and junior Justin Archie scored five.
Matt Daniel scored a game-high 18 points on three 3-pointers and Anthony Snell added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Cumberlands.
The first half featured a two-man battle between Lindsey Wilson's Baker and Cumberlands' Snell. Baker paced the Blue Raiders with 10 points and Snell buried three 3-pointers en route to 11 first-half points.
Cumberlands also used a 17-7 rebounding advantage in the first half to take a slight 25-22 lead into the locker room at the break. Lindsey Wilson never got a chance to cut into the lead from the free-throw line as the Patriots were whistled for just one foul.
Lindsey Wilson slowed the game down to limit the Patriots' possessions, resulting in the low halftime score, despite shooting 44.4 percent from behind the arc and 40.9 percent from the field. Cumberlands managed to shoot 50.0 percent from three, much better than the 39.1 percent mark from the field in the opening half.
The Patriots jumped out of the gate on a 14-6 run to open the second half and take its largest lead of the game to that point at 11 points on a 3-pointer from Daniel.
Darren Ballou got loose for a layup with 11:23 left in the game to pull Lindsey Wilson back within seven (39-32), completing a mini-run for the Blue Raiders as they were forced to pick up the pace to mount any type of comeback.
The effort was short lived as Cumberlands got back on top by 12, 49-37, on a baseline jumper by Cunningham as the Lindsey Wilson offense continued to struggle. A free throw by Clemons made the score 51-38 in favor of the Patriots with 4:50 left to play.
A missed three pointer by Chase Cox, lob for a dunk by the Patriots' Cunningham and a turnover spelled more trouble for Lindsey Wilson as Cumberlands increased its lead to 14 late in the game.
Lindsey Wilson's defensive pressure led to a string of fouls over the final three minutes, giving Cumberlands five points from the free-throw line, coupled with another three from Daniels to give the Patriots a 58-41 lead with 1:47 left.
The Blue Raiders' 42 points were a season-low as they struggled to a 32.7 percent showing from the field and 23.5 percent mark from behind the arc. Cumberlands shot 44.7 percent from the field and 46.7 percent on threes on 7-of-15 shooting.
Cumberlands dominated the rebounding battle 40-15, including a 9-2 advantage on the offensive glass. Lindsey Wilson finished with just two assists and nine turnovers in the low scoring affair.
Lindsey Wilson returns to action at 7 p.m. CT on Feb. 10 at the West Virginia Institute of Technology in Montgomery, W. Va.