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Emaleigh Tarpley led the way with her seventh double-double notching 11 points and 18 rebounds. Faith Colston added six points and 10 boards.  Ever Walker contributed eight points, hitting 2 of 10 from beyond the arc, while Kayla Gordon added four points, all from the charity stripe, and eight rebounds. Marley Hyde provided a spark off the bench with seven points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes, and Mariyah Person chipped in four points and an assist. 

Bryan (5-8) picked up the season sweep after the Phoenix after also defeating Cumberland back in October for the season opener. The Lions shot 35.8 percent (19-for-53) from the field and 28.6 percent (8-for-28) from 3-point range. 

Individually, Ashlan Crittenden led Bryan with 15 points and four rebounds shooting 5-of-16 from the field. Autumn Davis added 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Ayanna Kinnard came off the bench scoring 12 points in just 24 minutes. 

Both teams were slow to get started in the first as Walker knocked down the first basket of the game for Cumberland for a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately for Cumberland, the Phoenix picked up just two more points in the whole quarter to trail 12-4. 

The deficit heading into the second quarter was not awful trailing just eight. Hyde scored quickly in the quarter to get it down to six, but two threes from the Lions pushed the lead out to double figures down 18-6.

The Phoenix went on a 4-0 spurt halfway through the quarter as Hyde connected on a two and Gordon hit two free throws. The two sides swapped a pair of free throws as the next points, but the Lions closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to go into the half up 27-14. 

Cumberland was held to just three made field goals in the first half. 

The Phoenix started the second half with three made shots to get right back in the game. Tarpley and Walker hit 3-ointers and Eubanks scored down low for an 8-0 run, forcing Bryan into a timeout leading 27-22. 

The timeout allowed Byran to recoup as they would go on a 6-0 run out of the break. Walker ended the run with a triple, but answering for Bryan was Kinnard with a 3 for a 36-25 lead halfway through the third. Cumberland outscored Bryan 6-3 the rest of the third to go to the fourth trailing 39-31. 

Cumberland could not cut into the deficit during the fourth quarter as Bryan outscored the Phoenix 14-11 in the frame to come away with a 53-42 win.

This was the final non-conference game as the Phoenix, who will get geared up for Mid-South Cconference play beginning next Thursday at Bethel. 

Phoenix women stay hot with sixth straight victory

KNOXVILLE — Cumberland’s women won their sixth straight Monday led by four Phoenix in double figures to lead the Phoenix to a 10-point win over Tennessee Wesleyan, 67-57, to start the Johnson University New Year's Eve Classic. 

CU (8-6) shot 33.8 percent from the field, including five 3-pointers, while making 16 of 21 free throws (76.2 percent). The Phoenix dominated the glass with a 48-35 rebounding advantage, led by Faith Colston's double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Kayla Gordon contributed 13 points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists, while Myajae Eubanks added 13 points and six boards. Off the bench, Mariyah Person delivered 12 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Cumberland did a good job limiting turnovers staying in single figures with a season-low nine turnovers. On the flip side, the Phoenix forced the Bulldogs into 15 turnovers that translated to 16 points for CU. 

Tennessee Wesleyan (5-5) shot 36.7 percent from the field and made 9 of 24 3-pointers (37.5 percent). The Bulldogs were led by Anna Crowder, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds, including five 3-pointers on 7-of-15 shooting. Jacelyn Stone added 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, hitting one 3-pointer and converting 3-of-4 free throws while also grabbing six rebounds. Sierra Bates added eight points off the bench while Jalaya Lindsey chipped in five points and one rebound.

Cumberland got off to a strong start in the first quarter, opening the game with a layup by Eubanks just seconds into play. The Phoenix extended their lead to 5-0 after a layup by Gordon and a free throw from Emaleigh Tarpley. Tennessee Wesleyan quickly responded, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers from Crowder, Jaci Powell and Stone to take an 8-5 lead. The teams traded baskets throughout the middle of the quarter with Eubanks and Tarpley contributing key scores for Cumberland to keep the game tight.

Colston's 3-pointer tied the game at 13-13. But Tennessee Wesleyan's Lindsey hit a layup and a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead. Cumberland closed the quarter strong with Person converting four straight free throws and Marley Hyde scoring a layup in the final seconds to give the Phoenix a 23-18 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Cumberland controlled the second quarter with efficient scoring. Colston opened the quarter on fire, hitting two 3-pointers and a jumper for eight points early in the frame. Eubanks dominated in the paint, scoring six points, while Gordon added four points and continued to facilitate the offense with three assists in the period. Person contributed with a key layup to keep the momentum going.

The Phoenix’s defense held Tennessee Wesleyan to just 15.8 percent shooting in the second period before heading into halftime with a 36-24 lead.

Cumberland started the third quarter strong, building momentum early with a layup from Gordon and a triple from Colston.  Eubanks kept the offense flowing with a layup and jumper, pushing the Phoenix's lead even further. Tarpley got in on the action with a layup of her own for a 50-28 lead with 3:53 left in the third.

The Bulldogs leaned on Stone and Crowder to chip away at the deficit. Stone converted two free throws and knocked down a jumper while Crowder connected on two critical 3-pointers to cut the lead down. Hyde capped off the quarter with a late layup to bring it 52-35 lead heading into the fourth.

The Bulldogs opened the quarter with back-to-back layups from Bates, narrowing the gap to 52-39. However, Cumberland quickly responded with Tarpley sinking two free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from Ever Walker to extend the Phoenix lead.

Person went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final minutes to seal the 67-57 victory. Cumberland's balanced scoring and composure at the line were pivotal in closing out the game.