Griggs fires career-high as Patriots second half comeback falls short

Published 4:06 pm Friday, December 6, 2019

GEORGETOWN — Senior guard Jordan Griggs displayed his best performance as a Patriot against the top-ranked team in the NAIA as the Woodbridge, VA native recorded a career-high 31 points, including seven 3-pointers in the Patriots 91-76 loss to Georgetown Thursday night at the Davis Reid Alumni Gym.

The Patriots saw their seven game win streak snapped as UC moves to 8-3 on the year and 1-1 against the Mid-South Conference.

Griggs led the way for Cumberlands shooting 11-for-18 from the field, including 7-for-10 from beyond-the-arc. His 31 points and seven 3’s are a season-high for the Patriots this season. Jahi Hinson chipped in 15 points, while Caleb Taylor tallied another double-double finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

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Georgetown opened the game on a 13-4 run over the first five minutes of the first half. Tevin Olison and Hunter Bode each knocked down a field goal. However, UC was outscored 12-4 giving the Tigers a 25-8 lead midway through the first half.

The Patriots continued to battle as Olison connected with Caleb Taylor for a bucket before netting four straight UC points. Georgetown used a 9-1 run to extend their lead to 41-15 with 4:02 remaining. Jordan Griggs and Jahi Hinson combined for UC’s final nine points of the first half, but Georgetown took a 50-24 lead at the break.

Cumberlands came out of the half strong netting eight straight points, including five from Griggs, to cut the deficit to 50-32 two minutes in. Griggs netted 10 of the Patriots next 12 points, including five straight, to make it 58-41 with 15:55 remaining.

Hinson and Nnamdi Van Dulm each drained a 3-pointer, but the Patriots struggled to cut into the lead as the trailed Georgetown 72-54 midway through the second half. Griggs strong shooting continued as he hit three more from long range and netted 11 straight UC points to make it 82-66 with 3:50 remaining. Cumberlands outscored the Tigers 10-9 over the final four minutes of the game for the 91-76 final.

The Patriots will return to action Dec. 14, as they look to avenge an early season loss to IU Southeast. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.