The University of the Cumberlands (UC) Women's Basketball team has continued to impress the nation all throughout the season.  Head Coach Melissa Irvin and the Patriots did their job this week and improved their nearly perfect season with two solid wins on the road against the University of Pikeville and UVA-Wise.  The Patriot ladies are the powerful leaders in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) with an impressive 10-0 conference record now and an amazing 20-1 overall record, ranking them #6 in the NAIA. 

On Thursday, the Patriots traveled to the Expo Center in Pikeville to battle the Bears of the University of Pikeville.  The Patriots defeated the Bears for the second time this season by a final score of 65-42.  UC was led by sophomore guard Jessica Upchurch (Stanford, KY) who stepped up tallying 19 points shooting 3 for 5 from behind the arc.  Senior guard Lauren Wombles (London, KY) chipped in with 13 points, while junior forward Dace Bicane (Riga, Latvia) added another double-double this month putting up 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  The Patriots, as a team, dominated on the glass throughout the game out-rebounding the Bears 44 to 32.

On Saturday, the Patriots looked to improve their record to 2-0 on the season against UVA-Wise, as they battled the Cavs on UVA-Wise's court.  UC went into the new home of the Cavs and dominated coming out on top 83-63.  Shooting 47% from the field and a strong 90% from the free throw line, the Patriots made sure to put the Cavs away early for good.  UC was led by senior Lauren Wombles (London, KY) who burned the Cavs for 30 points as well as 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and only 1 turnover in 37 minutes of play.  Senior Haley Ratliff (Pikeville, KY) hit 4 three-pointers on the night, adding a big 18 points to the Patriots' score.  Senior point guard Jade Howard (Salyersville, KY) scored 14 points while dropping 6 assists and 0 turnovers.

The Patriots will have a full week to recover as they prepare to take on Lindsey Wilson College on Saturday February 4^th at 3:00pm at Lindsey Wilson. 

For more information on the Patriots Women's basketball team as well as other Patriot athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com.  

Article by Stephanie Quattrociocchi, UC Multimedia and Athletic Services Graduate Assistant