LEBANON, Tenn. - - The Cumberland women's basketball team charged late in the fourth quarter and pulled off a miraculous 17-point comeback to pull away 76-68, taking down Saint Xavier.
The Phoenix came out firing and led for the first five minutes, aided by the inside presence of both
Riley Long and
Emaleigh Tarpley. Coming into the game the Cougars were one of the nation's premier three-point shooting offenses and a pair of threes put them ahead, running out to a 17-8 lead.
Cumberland did make a run as the quarter was coming to a close, scoring on three straight possessions and going on an 8-0 run, though Saint Xavier did nail a midrange jumper at the buzzer to extend their lead back out, 19-16. That momentum did carry into the second quarter as SXU nailed a three and hit a free throw to push their lead back to seven. CU punched back for every run that the Cougars began to mount, but the three-point shooting of the away team helped see them push their halftime lead out to 36-29.
Saint Xavier continued to build on that advantage coming out of the break, opening the third quarter on a quick run and eventually stretching the lead to as many as 17 midway through the frame. The Cougars shot nearly 48 percent in the quarter and used a balanced scoring effort to take a 62-49 lead into the final ten minutes.
The fourth quarter, however, belonged entirely to the Phoenix.
Cumberland locked in defensively, holding Saint Xavier to just six points in the final period, while the offense found its rhythm at the other end.
Ty Buckley sparked the comeback with timely baskets and a pair of triples, while
Braley Bushman provided a major lift off the bench, scoring nine of her 14 points in the final quarter.
The Phoenix erased the deficit piece by piece before Buckley gave Cumberland its first lead since the opening minutes with a layup at the 1:19 mark. Buckley followed that up with another three on the next possession, helping CU pull away late as they closed the game on an 11-0 run.
Cumberland finished the night shooting nearly 79 percent from the free throw line and outscored Saint Xavier 25-6 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and secure the 76-68 win at the Dallas Floyd. The Phoenix will now await one more non-conference matchup in 2025, heading to take on Johnson University on the 30th.
