LEBANON, Tenn. – TaCouya Allen scored 12 points and Jessica Pace and London Elie each netted 11, as No. 6 Cumberland avenged its only loss of the season with a hard-fought 60-54 victory over St. Catharine College on Saturday at Lourdes Hall in St. Catharine, Ky.

The Bulldogs (22-1, 13-1 Mid-South) lost their only game of the year on January 3 to the Patriots, 57-55, but overcame a sluggish start and a big run by the home team in the second half to pull away in the final minutes. Cumberland trailed 48-47 with 3:21 remaining before scoring 13 of the final 19 points of the contest, including five from Pace and three by Elie.

Simone Ryan recorded 10 points off the bench for CU, eight in the first half, while Josette Campbell filled the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Elie and Pace each grabbed seven boards as well, helping the Bulldogs overcame foul trouble. Cumberland was whistled for 22 fouls in the game compared to 13 for St. Catharine (14-7, 8-6), with the Patriots committing four of those offenses in the final two minutes.

The Bulldogs led 28-23 at the half and raced out with a 15-5 run to start the second period, with Campbell and Allen both nailing 3-pointers and Briannica Tye’s basket giving CU a 43-28 advantage with 14:15 remaining. But the Patriots came storming back, tying the game at 45 with a 17-2 spurt over the next nine minutes. Cumberland made just 1-of-11 field goals and missed both free throw attempts during the stretch, allowing the home team back into the game.

Rianne Hofstraat had a field goal and a 3-pointer to start the run and Reilley Poirier added three buckets, including the game-tying field goal with 6:15 remaining in the game. Ryan scored CU’s only points during the run before Elie’s field goal with 5:30 left.

Janae Howard tied the game on SCC’s next possession and one free throw by Poirier put the Patriots ahead, 48-47, but Elie made 1-of-2 foul shots on the Bulldogs next trip and Pace got the offensive rebound and putback on the second shot, putting CU ahead for good.

Pace added another field goal and two free throws before Allen and Campbell each added two foul shots, as the Bulldogs made all six attempts from the charity stripe in the final 1:29 of the contest. Elie got an easy layup in the final seconds for the Bulldogs, who pushed their winning streak to nine games overall with the victory.

Poirier led all players with 20 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 points and 10 boards in the first half, while Howard finished with 17 points and Hofstraat added 10. St. Catharine shot just 37 percent from the floor in the game, 27 percent in the first half, but made 19-of-26 foul shots overall to keep the game close.

After a treacherous and lengthy bus ride to St. Catharine on Saturday morning, through the snow and ice in Tennessee and Kentucky, Cumberland arrived at the gym about 30 minutes before game time and started slowly. The Bulldogs trailed 10-5 about seven minutes into the contest after a bucket and a 3-pointer by Hofstraat.

Yalonda Davis and Ryan came off the bench to provide a much-needed spark for CU, with the duo combining for 14 consecutive points, including all of an 11-2 Bulldog spurt that gave the visitors a 19-15 advantage with 7:36 left in the half. Cumberland pushed its lead to eight after field goals from Campbell and Allen and headed to the locker room with the five-point advantage.

Cumberland begins a four-game homestand on Thursday against Campbellsville University at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs also take on Lindsey Wilson next Saturday and face Shawnee State and the University of Rio Grande the following week. The club has just six regular season games remaining before the Mid-South Championships begin February 28 in Frankfort, Ky.