Pulaski, Tenn.-- Cumberland falls just short on the road against Tennessee Southern 66-64 after a tight, physical battle.

The teams went point-for-point all game long as it was a two or one possession game for nearly all forty minutes. 

Jordan Stephens continues to add to his impressive resume, picking up a game-high 18 points and going 4-for-8 from behind the arc. Ty’Reek Johnson had another great game for CU from start to finish, picking up 15 points with some very key buckets. Tyler Byrd added nine points while Jayen Negron picked up eight.

The Firehawks had four shooters hit double-digit figures, led by Adarian Hudson for 17 buckets and seven boards. Kendall Wright was right behind with 12 points, while Malik Tyson and Kavion Hancock each added ten.

As a team, the Phoenix (12-12, 8-10) outshot their competitors going 28-of-57 (49.1%) from the field. The Firehawks (16-7, 12-6) however, were nearly perfect from behind the line going 90% after nailing 18 of their 20 opportunities. 

Ty’Reek Johnson kicked off scoring for the Phoenix with a jump shot, to which Isaac Stephens responded with a drive to the rim. 

It was a back-and-forth affair between the teams as they traded points down the stretch of the first half. Jordan Stephens ignited some energy after slamming one home and putting up a three in the next possession for a 23-18 advantage- the largest lead from both teams in the half.

It was a tight battle to finish the half with the upper hand as it was a one possession match for the last six minutes. Braxton Curathers checked into the game and drove the ball from the top of the key to put CU up 31-30 with 30 seconds on the clock. 

Tad Sivley controlled the ball on the Firehawks’ side for the final few seconds and took it to the rim for a buzzer beater layup to head into the break with a 32-30 lead. 

The Firehawks went up the three early in the second half and kept the Phoenix shooters at bay for the first three minutes. 

A pair of layups from Nassir Coleman and Jordan Stephens brought it back in favor of CU for a 35-34 score.  

Tennessee Southern benefited off of two Phoenix turnovers to jumpstart a 7-2 scoring run, allowing them to take what would be the largest lead of the match at seven points. 

After recollecting in a timeout, Jordan Stephens cut it back down to three with a fantastic look from behind the arc. Tyler Byrd put up two buckets in five seconds and Johnson added a jumper of his own to tie it up at 51-51 with seven minutes on the clock.

Cumberland trailed by two with three minutes left to play until Tyler Byrd sank an important three for a  61-60 lead.

The Firehawks capitalized on their next possession to regain the lead by one point, giving Cumberland the ball with 1:37 on the clock. At the 0:40 mark, the Firehawks forced a turnover for an easy layup to go up by three and send CU into their final timeout.

Out of the break, Stephens found Johnson behind the arc and he tied up the game with eleven seconds left with a fantastic three point shot.

Adarian Hudson controlled the ball for the final seconds as he took it all the way to find the hoop for a nearly buzzer-beating layup, securing UT Southern’s 66-64 victory.

The Phoenix will stay on the road for their next three games. They will face the RV University of the Cumberlands next Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 pm.