LEBANON, Tenn.-- An early 11-1 run and a decisive second-half stretch from beyond the arc powered the Tigers past the Phoenix, 88-72. Despite a strong first-half rally and brief lead from Cumberland, Georgetown's perimeter shooting proved to be the difference down the stretch.

The Tigers wasted no time setting the tone, opening the contest with a dominant 11-1 run fueled by sharp perimeter shooting. Lewis buried a pair of three-pointers, Harman added one of his own from beyond the arc, and Nyekan finished at the rim to give the Tigers a commanding advantage just three minutes into the first half.

Georgetown continued to build momentum as Darien Lewis knocked down his third three-pointer of the game, stretching the lead to 14-1. The Phoenix responded behind Zaylin Rowland, who converted back-to-back contested layups before knocking down a three-pointer to trim the deficit to six.

Harman answered with an old-fashioned three-point play to push the margin back to 19-8, and Bubba Leavell followed with a banked-in three to extend the Tigers' lead to 14. The Phoenix countered with strong interior play from Michael Nwoye and a pair of free throws from Jordan Jenkins, while Nick Brunetti's three-pointer highlighted a 7-0 run that cut the deficit to single digits.

Leavell halted the momentum with another three-pointer to make it 25-15, but the Phoenix continued to battle. Harman added a layup for the Tigers, while Tristan Conger converted two free throws after drawing a foul. Jenkins capitalized on a Georgetown turnover to bring the deficit to eight, and Nwoye followed with another basket off a takeaway, trimming the score to 27-21 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Out of the timeout, Michael Nwoye continued to attack the rim, converting through contact but unable to complete the three-point play at the line. He remained aggressive in the paint, drawing another foul moments later and splitting a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to three.

The Tigers responded with a quick push, as Mason finished at the rim and Lewis converted an old-fashioned three-point play to stretch the lead back to eight. Tristan Conger answered on the other end with an offensive rebound and putback, keeping the Phoenix within striking distance at 32-26.

The two sides traded baskets down the stretch of the half, with the Tigers maintaining a 36-30 edge with under five minutes remaining. Cumberland then surged, piecing together a 6-0 run behind baskets from Nwoye, Davis, and Rowland to knot the game at 36-36.

Momentum fully shifted in the final minute of the half as Davis knocked down a pair of three-pointers, giving the Phoenix their first lead of the game at 44-42. Following a late Phoenix foul, Lewis calmly sank two free throws to even the score at 44-44, sending both teams into the locker room tied at halftime.

Coming out of the halftime break, both teams continued to trade baskets in a tightly contested battle. A three-pointer from Mason provided the difference early in the second half, giving the Tigers a 49-47 edge. Riggs Abner answered with a three of his own to trim the margin back to one following another Mason layup.

Rowland kept the Phoenix within reach, drawing a foul and converting one of two free throws to even the score at 51-51. The Tigers responded midway through the half, using back-to-back layups to regain control, while a Nwoye basket kept Cumberland within striking distance as the Tigers maintained a narrow three-point lead with 10 minutes remaining.

Georgetown then created separation with a decisive perimeter surge. Mason, Dillingham, and Lewis connected on three consecutive three-pointers, fueling a run that stretched the Tigers' advantage to 66-54 with eight minutes left. After two baskets from Conger the lead was cut down to 10.

Leavell would hit a three with 6 minutes left in the game to make the score 73-62, but Davis would hit a three to respond. Both teams then continued to trade baskets as the score was 81-67 in favor of the Tigers with 3 minutes left in the game. The Tigers would pull away at the end with an 88-72 victory over the Phoenix. 

The Phoenix will travel for Thursday's matchup as they will face No. 1 ranked Freed-Hardeman tipoff is set for 7:30 P.M. in Henderson, Tenn. You can listen to the Phoenix on 98.9 WANT FM.