LEBANON, Tenn. - - The Cumberland Women's Basketball team took down the Southeastern Fire with a go-ahead bucket from Emaleigh Tarpley in the final seconds of the game, 62-60.

Cumberland ran out to a small lead to start the game, putting in three shots before the Fire could get on the board. Southeastern eventually fought their way back into the game making it 8-8, after which point neither team would be separated by more than two points.

All the way to the second minute of the second quarter each team traded baskets, making for a tight 21-20 contest. Pulling away momentarily the Phoenix went on a five point run to pull away 26-20, though the Fire got hot and with back-to-back threes and a pair of free throws saw them go ahead for the first time since the second minute of the game.

Southeastern held onto that lead for the remainder of the half, despite the Phoenix having a chance to pull it back with four straight free throws in the final minute of the game. With the second quarter coming to a close, Cumberland trailed by just one point in one of their most competitive games of the season.

The Fire put the first points on the board after the break but the Phoenix rallied and put eight straight points on the board without allowing a Southeastern make until three more minutes were off the board, all while on a 15-7 run in the third. Lighting the crowd up like a Christmas tree, Ever Walker took a deep three pointer and while her ball was on its way in the Fire made a foul off the ball, allowing Tarpley to shoot a pair of shots from the charity stripe to make it a five-point play for the Phoenix that possession.

For more than a three minute stretch Tarpley was the only player for either team to score, helping the Cumberland lead grow out to double-digits for the first time all game. With their largest deficit of the game coming in the fourth quarter it was do or die for Southeastern and the Fire began to heat up.

Four straight layups from the away side with nothing coming from Cumberland meant that the once 12-point lead that CU owned was now whittled all the way down to four points. The fourth quarter was unkind to the Phoenix through the first six minutes, as they struggled to find any kind of offense.

Both teams struggled to score in the quarter but Kayla Gordon was finally able to break the goose egg with three minutes left on the board, making it a 56-50. Fighting their way right back into the game, the Fire rattled off four points in a row and forced a Phoenix turnover to give themselves a chance to take the lead back with just over two minutes on the clock.

Southeastern swung the ball around and took a wide-open three pointer that clanked off the front of the rim, but was put right back in by Mya Herman after she grabbed her own rebound. Ever Walker hit a big three the following possession to give CU the lead right back, but it all came down to the final 20 seconds where it was tied at 60-60 and the Phoenix had the ball.

In the biggest moment of the game Faith Colston rolled to the basket and dished the ball off to Emaleigh Tarpley who kept her composure and put Cumberland back in the lead with 7.1 seconds left to play. Backing up her go-ahead bucket with a win-sealing block, who else but Tarpley would seal the deal for the Phoenix.

Kayla Gordon led the Phoenix in scoring with an efficient 21 points, while Ever Walker only trailed her by two points with 19. With her late-game heroics Tarpley climbed into double-digit points, scoring 11, and sthe sophomore was just one rebound shy of a double-double.

Cumberland will be right back in action tomorrow as they take on the Campbellsville Harrodsburg in the final game of the Rosa Stokes Classic tomorrow evening at 5 PM.