LEBANON, Tenn. -- Phoenix travels to Henderson to face off against Freed-Hardeman in a rematch with the Lions.

Cumberland (10-15, 2-8 MSC) travels out west to Henderson, Tennessee to face off against No. 1 ranked Freed-Hardeman in the last road conference game of the 2025-26 season. Cumberland is coming off of a loss against No. 15 Georgetown where the Phoenix were tied at half, but the Tigers were able to pull away and win the game 88-72.

In the last matchup between the Phoenix and the Lions on February 2nd, Freed-Hardeman would be able to pull away from Cumberland late in the game and win 75-61.

On the season, the Phoenix averaged 75.8 points per game on 44.8/31.9/67.4 shooting splits, while allowing 78.4 points per game on 44.3/33.2/69.2 shooting splits. Cumberland averages 37.3 rebounds, 11.6 assists, and forces 15.9 turnovers per game. Defensively, the Phoenix allow 37.4 rebounds, 14.8 assists, and commit 15.8 turnovers per game. 

Individually, redshirt junior Triston Conger is the engine to the Phoenix offensive attack. Conger is leading the team in minutes (35.6), points (17.5), assists (3.8) and steals (2.0). The Hendersonville native is shooting just under 50% from the field (47.9%) and just under 80% from the free throw line (79.4%). In the last matchup against the Lions, Conger scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, and distributed two assists. In the backcourt, Conger is complemented by freshman guard Zaylin Rowland. Rowland has seen an increase in playing time as the Little Rock, Arkansas native is averaging 10.4 points and 2.3 assists shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.1% from three. Rowland led the way in the last matchup against Freed-Hardeman, scoring 20 points and shooting 6-10 from the field, 1-1 from three, and 7-8 from the free throw line. In the front court, freshman forward Michael Nwoye is currently averaging 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and shooting a team high 54.5% from the field. Nwoye is looking to have a more assertive game against the Lions, as the Antioch native only scored six points on four shot attempts in the first matchup.

For Freed-Hardeman (26-1, 11-0 MSC), they are ranked as the top team in the most recent NAIA Coaches Poll and have already clinched the Mid-South Conference Regular Season Championship. Their most recent game was a 75-64 win over Campbellsville at home. 

As a team, Freed-Hardeman scores 86.7 points per game on 49.8/36.3/69.3 shooting splits while giving up 61.4 points per game on 37.3/27.6/68.2 shooting splits. The Lions average 36.7 rebounds, 14.2 assists per game, and force 21.0 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, Freed-Hardeman allows 35.6 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and commits 12.3 turnovers per game.

Individually, for the Freed-Hardeman, graduate forward Phil Horton leads the way, averaging 12.7 points per game, while shooting 55.8% from the field and 37.5% from three. Horton also collects 6.4 rebounds and distributes 1.9 assists per game. In the last matchup against the Phoenix, Horton scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. In the backcourt, senior guard Rico Sain is leading the offense, scoring 11.7 points per game and 1.7 assists, while getting 2.3 steals per game. Sain scored 19 points and got five steals against Cumberland in their last matchup. Finally, sophomore guard Dean Blake has been a strong impact off of the bench, scoring 9.9 points and shooting 46.8% from three. Blake led the way for the Lions against the Phoenix, scoring 24 points and shooting 5-10 from three in their win. 

In the history between Freed-Hardeman and Cumberland, the Lions have a slight advantage, winning 29 games, to Cumberland's 22. The Lions have won the last two matchups and Cumberland has only won two games in the series since the 2020-21 season. When the Phoenix travel to Henderson, they have a record of 8-17.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 and is available to be streamed for free on the Urban Edge Network. Along with UEN, Jon Boyce and Kyle Allen will be on the call on 98.9 WANT FM.