LEBANON, Tenn.--The Phoenix open up the season with a big 59-46 win over Blue Mountain Christian at the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena on Friday.

Cumberland (1-0) started the season with a bang leading wire-to-wire. The team shot 40% from the field and made three triples in the win. The Phoenix forced the Toppers into 13 turnovers that translated to 12 points for Cumberland. The Phoenix controlled the glass winning the rebound battle 44-to-31 with 12 offensive boards. 

Lindsey Freeman was the leading scorer playing 32 minutes for CU with 16 points on five boards. Kayla Gordon went 7-of-15 for 15 points and added six rebounds and two assists. 

Freshman Emaleigh Tarpley finished with seven points and four rebounds in her first collegiate game. Jana Claire Swafford had six points, seven rebounds, and a team-high four dimes. Myajae Eubanks added five points and a team-high eight rebounds. 

Crystin Guy did most of the damage for Blue Mountain Christian. Guy scored 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting and went 11-for-13 from the charity stripe. 

The Phoenix started the game on 6-0 run as Eubanks scored from the line, Person and Freeman scored in the paint. The Toppers scored the next three, but Cumberland answered to extend it on an 8-0 run to 14-3 at the media timeout. 

CU continued to keep the pressure high pushing the lead out to 21-7 after the first with seven different Phoenix scoring in the first. The only Topper to score in the first was Crystin Guy scoring all seven points. 

To start the second quarter, Blue Mountain made a push to cut into the deficit. Freeman knocked in a three after a Blue Mountain bucket, but three-straight threes for the Toppers cut it to six at 24-18 forcing Cumberland into a timeout with 5:02 left in the half. 

After the timeout, the Phoenix got back-to-back buckets from Tarpley and Swafford to get it back to a 10 point lead before going into half with a 32-24 advantage. 

Cumberland shot 39.4% from the field with just one made three in the half. Freeman led Cumberland in scoring with nine points while Gordon had eight at the break. 

The second half started slow as the teams tightened up their defensive play. The two sides traded baskets before a 6-2 run cut the lead to four at 38-34 with 3:22 left in the quarter. Cumberland held on to that margin heading into the fourth up 41-37. 

The Phoenix held Blue Mountain scoreless the first five minutes of the fourth allowing Tarpley to catch heat and score the first five points for Cumberland. A free throw from Eubanks and a two from Swafford extended Cumberland's lead to 12 at 49-37 at the final media. 

Cumberland rode that momentum and pushed it to win 59-46. Freeman added five more points in the final two minutes on a bucket and a three to finish with a team-high 16 points.

The Phoenix are on the road next Friday and Saturday at Freed-Hardeman taking on Brescia and Taylor in neutral site games.