LEBANON, Tenn. – DeMario Frazier hit a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving Cumberland a 60-58 victory over Shawnee State on Saturday in men’s basketball action at Frank and Janis Waller Gymnasium in Portsmouth, Ohio.

The Bulldogs (4-4, 1-2) led 57-49 after Josh Wilkerson made two free throws with 3:03 remaining, but 3-pointer by Jorian Hudson cut the lead to five. After Telvin Wilkerson missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Sean Elliott drilled another trifecta for the Bears (1-6, 0-4) with 1:32 to play.

Frazier missed two free throws with 57 seconds remaining and after a missed layup by SSU’s Andrew Bendolph, Alex Flagler did not make the front end of another 1-and-1 for the Bulldogs with 15 seconds remaining. The Bears hustled up the floor and Devon Carter was fouled on a 3-point attempt, sending him to the line with the chance to take the lead.

Carter did just that, making the first two before a Cumberland timeout. He made the final one as well for a 58-57 SSU edge. Flagler raced up the floor with the ball but lost it near the 3-point line where Frazier picked it up and heaved the final shot, which went in after the buzzer sounded but was clearly away before the horn, sending the Bulldogs into a frantic celebration.

Frazier had just five points but seven rebounds, while Josh Wilkerson led the way for the Bulldogs with 20 points, including three 3-pointers. Telvin Wilkerson and Flagler each had nine points and Moritz Dern added eight off the bench for CU.

Carter was 3-for-3 from behind the arc and paced the Bears with 14 points, while Bendolph finished with 11 and Hudson and Elliott each had nine.

Shawnee State scored the first seven points of the game behind a 3-pointer from Carter and field goals by Kai Turner and Hudson, but the Bulldogs responded with seven of their own to knot the score, including four points by Telvin Wilkerson.

The Bears pushed the lead back to five, but again CU came back, this time taking its first lead thanks to six consecutive points, with the last from coming from Uros Benacek. Benacek scored again to make it six straight for the 6-foot-10 Slovenian before Flagler’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 20-14 advantage, capping an 11-0 spurt.

The lead last less than 90 seconds, as Jacob Daniels had a layup before a 3-pointer by Carter and then a layup from Hudson put the Bears back ahead. Dern’s layup for the Bulldogs with 1:14 left in the half knotted the game at 25 and that’s what the score read at intermission.

The two clubs went back-and-forth in the second half, with neither squad leading by more than three for the first 10 minutes. Telvin Wilkerson’s triple gave the Bulldogs a 43-40 lead at the 11:35 mark, starting a 15-6 run by Cumberland over the next six minutes.

Flagler had a jumper and a free throw during the stretch and Josh Wilkerson posted seven of his 20 points in the run, including a 3-pointer and two jumpers, the last one giving CU a 55-46 advantage with 4:03 remaining.

Bendolph nailed a 3-pointer on Shawnee State’s next possession, but Wilkerson’s two foul shots made it an eight-point game at the 3:03 mark, setting up the final heroics.

Cumberland hosts Martin Methodist this Monday at 6 p.m. before taking a break for Thanksgiving.