Bethel takes advantage of Dawgs' dry spell

Cumberland did not score a field goal for almost six minutes in the second half, allowing 17th-ranked Bethel to take the lead for good and pull away in an 88-78 victory over the Bulldogs in men’s basketball action here Monday night at the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center.

The Bulldogs (6-8) lost for the sixth time this season by 10 points or less, leading for almost the entire first half and most of the second period before scoring just five points over the six-minute span. The Wildcats (15-2) put together a 13-5 run during the drought, taking their first lead since the 16:34 mark of the first half on a layup by Josh Swing with 8:14 remaining.

Caleb Hardy hit four free throws and a field goal during the 13-5 stretch, as the Bulldogs were 0-for-7 with two turnovers. Even with all of those struggles, CU trailed just 77-76 with 3:54 remaining, but Bethel ended the game with a 10-1 run. BU made its last 10 shots from the field over the final 11:41 of the game and also hit 10-of-14 free throws, taking control of the contest en route to the club’s third consecutive win.

Creshaun Holt had a career night in the loss for Cumberland, posting 29 points and nine rebounds and hitting 11-of-18 shots. E.J. Perry was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 10 points, but he made just 2-of-6 from the field, 1-for-6 from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs started the game 7-of-8 from 3-point range but then hit just 4-of-18 the rest of the contest. Bethel also dominated the glass, outrebounding CU, 43-23, scoring 13 second-chance points and 36 points in the paint. Cumberland stayed in the game by recording 29 points off 19 Bethel turnovers.

Hardy netted a team-best 25 points for the Wildcats and added four rebounds and four assists. Darnell Moore posted 22 points and 14 boards, George Coleman had 15 and Jarvis Palmer registered 10 points off the bench.

Brian Blackmon hit the first of nine first-half 3-pointers for the Bulldogs to give CU a 7-5 edge in the early going, but the Wildcats netted the next six points for a four-point advantage. Cumberland responded with a 16-2 spurt, with Daniel McFadden knocking down a pair of trifectas and Perry and Holt each hitting one 3-pointer and adding another bucket.

The Bulldogs led 31-21 after another 3-pointer, this one by Jerret Towns, with 8:37 left in the period and led by seven before the Wildcats ended the half on a 9-2 run. Moore hit a pair of free throws and a jumper, Hardy added two foul shots and Coleman was fouled on his jump shot, completing the three-point play and knotting the contest at 43 at the break.

Cumberland will hit the road this week for games at Virginia-Wise and Pikeville on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Bulldogs will return home Jan. 24 to face Pikeville at 8 p.m.

CU drops close one to Georgetown

E.J. Perry’s potential game-tying deep three-point shot was on-line but short, giving Georgetown College an 88-85 win over Cumberland Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center.

In a game whistled for 42 fouls and 65 free throws between both teams, the outcome came down to the final moments. With 42 seconds left in the game, Lester Gude put back a Charles Stewart miss to give CU (6-7, 2-4) a one-point advantage. GC’s Corey Washburn answered on the other end with a layup to put the Tigers in control, 86-85. Stewart again took it to the rack but the ball would barely roll out while Washburn grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Washburn hit the front end of the double bonus to give his team a two-point lead with 23 to go. Gude got a good look at a three-pointer from the corner, but the shot was off, and the Tigers’ Monty Wilson snared the board. Wilson was then fouled with two-and-a-half ticks left on the clock, leading to two shots at the line. Wilson hit the first and missed the second, setting up Perry’s final shot.

Four Bulldogs were in double figures, led again by Gude and Creshaun Holt each with 20, and Brian Blackmon and Jerret Towns scored 18 apiece. Gude was five of nine from behind the arc and Holt collected eight rebounds.

After the tip, the Tigers raced out to a 7-0 lead before Gude hit his first shot from downtown. With CU trailing 13-8, Holt made a bucket, drew the foul and nailed his free throw to pull Cumberland within two. Consecutive three-pointers by Georgetown put the visitors up by eight before Blackmon’s second three of the night cut the lead to five.

For the second game in a row, Jerret Towns provided enormous energy off of the bench. After grabbing an offensive board, Towns scored in the paint while being fouled and converted the extra point. Towns then turned it up on the defensive end with a steal and a breakaway layup, lessening GC’s lead to two. Seconds later, Towns pulled up and drilled a three to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, 22-21.

Towns hit his second three of the game with under eight minutes to play, erasing a three-point deficit for CU. Three baskets were then exchanged between the teams until another three-pointer from Gude gave CU back the lead. With a minute-and-a-half left before halftime, Blackmon drove and made a tough bucket in traffic while being fouled to put the Bulldogs up by three. GC’s Vic Moses dominated the last minute of the half, making two buckets to send the Tigers into the locker room with a 42-41 lead.

Holt opened the second half with a monster dunk to push CU ahead by a point and added onto the lead with a tip-in off of a Blackmon miss to extend the lead to three. The Tigers were only able to manage two field goals in a six minute stretch while Towns was busy taking over again. Towns stole the ball on successive possessions, leading to a fastbreak layup and then two free throws, giving Cumberland its largest lead of the game, 56-45.

The Bulldogs were able to retain their lead until just under 12 minutes left in the contest. The Tigers erased a 10 point deficit to tie the game on two free throws by Moses with seven minutes to go.

With the game knotted at 78 and four minutes left on the clock, Holt slammed another one down for a two-point CU lead. Blackmon knocked in another tough shot to give CU a one-point lead with 1:36 left to play. A Cumberland foul led to two made free throws by CU to relinquish the lead, leading to the final decisive plays of the game.

Moses tallied a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds for Georgetown (11-4, 2-4).