Buzzer-beater stuns Lions in loss

January 28, 2023

by Dustin Semore, FHU Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. — After Hunter Scurlock's layup tied Saturday's matinee matchup between the No. 14 Freed-Hardeman University Lions and the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) Patriots, FHU needed a defensive stop to force overtime. The defense clamped down, but a 3-pointer from UC's JJ Ramey as the horn sounded stunned the Lions in an 82-79 defeat.

It was a game of runs where the Lions (17-6, 13-4 MSC) opened up with a seven-point run before the Patriots bounced back on an 8-1 run. Ryley McClaran and JJ Wheat teamed up with layups and free throws to put the Lions up by five with 13 minutes remaining before the Cumberlands offense scored nine unanswered points. Phil Horton's 3-point jumper was followed by jumpers from Hunter Scurlock and Dawson Bailey to reclaim the lead for the Lions 21-17. McClaran's 3-pointer with 4:27 remaining gave the Lions an eight-point advantage; however, the Patriots climbed back and with a 3-pointer made with 33 ticks remaining, retook the lead by one. Brandon Thomas's mid-range jumper at the buzzer would send the Lions into the locker room clinging to a 37-36 lead.

Peyton Law joined Thomas in the paint to put the Lions up by five to being the second half, but free throws and three straight baskets in the paint saw the Cumberlands (15-8, 9-8 MSC) knot the game 45-45 with 16:49 to go. For the next six minutes, every bucket by the Lions was answered with a bucket for the Patriots before McClaran's triple sparked a 7-0 run to give FHU a 61-53 lead at the midway point of the half. The Patriots began to feed the ball into the paint, where they would tally 40 of their team's point total. A jumper and a pair of free throws would tie the game and see the Lions trail for the first time in the second half with six minutes to go. While the Patriots made buckets in the paint, JaQuan Lax tallied a triple before he joined Wheat with four made free throws. With 25 seconds to go, the FHU defense forced a bad pass in the backcourt to hand the Lions the ball on their half of the court trailing by two. After grabbing an offensive board, Scurlock laid in the tying points with 11 seconds. Those 11 seconds were plenty for the Patriots, who saw Ramey get a shot off just before the buzzer, falling in the hoop to end the game with an 82-79 final.

Both teams put on a shooting clinic with the Lions hitting 50% of their attempted shots, while the Patriots' 30-53 afternoon saw them shoot 57% from the field.

Brandon Thomas was nearly unstoppable, going 12-17 and collecting a season-high 24 points. Ryley McClaran's 4-6 day from long range helped him to a 17-point total, while JaQuan Lax ended with 13 points. Hunter Scurlock pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and JJ Wheat gave out five assists.

Up Next

The Lions travel north to begin a three-game road trip against the Bethel (Tenn.) University Wildcats. Tipoff from Crisp Arena in McKenzie is set for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 4.