Williamsburg, Ky. – The William Carey men's basketball season came to a close Friday night as the Crusaders fell 95–68 to Cumberlands (Ky.) in the second round of the NAIA National Championship.
 
Javeon Gordon opened the scoring with a three-pointer in the opening seconds for Carey, but Cumberlands quickly seized control behind a 19-0 run. A Randarius Hughes layup with under 14 minutes left broke the run but by the nine-minute mark the Patriots lead swelled to 35-6.
 
Despite the early deficit, the Crusaders continued to battle, getting baskets from Makeem Roberts, Malik Franklin, and Anthony Robinson to slowly chip away at the lead. The defensive pressure picked up as well, limiting Cumberlands to just eight points over the final nine minutes, as a late three-pointer from Robinson and a layup by Franklin helped close the gap to 43-25 at the break.
 
William Carey came out of halftime, opening the second period with baskets from Roberts and Gordon to cut into the deficit. Gordon knocked down multiple three-pointers early in the half with one under 15 to play to get the Crusaders within 13 points at 52-39.
 
However, Cumberlands answered using a 20-5 run over the next five minutes to pull away for good eventually pulling away to a 93-55 lead before seeing out the 95-68 win.
 
Gordon paced the Crusaders with 17 points, with Franklin contributing 15.
 
The Crusaders end the season with an overall record of 28-5 and a 15-3 mark in conference.