Campbellsville University's defense Saturday turned the
University of Rio Grande Red Storm into a small trickle, as the 10th-ranked
Lady Tigers blew past Rio, 80-60, to remain unbeaten in Mid-South Conference
play.
Rio scored the first basketball of the game, but Campbellsville answered with a
seven-point run and never looked back, building a 37-22 halftime lead.
A six-point run to start the second half pushed the Lady Tigers' lead past 20
points, 43-22. The largest lead of the night was 25 points, 57-32 with 11:10
left to play.
"This is the best defensive effort we've had all year. We did a real good job getting around and contesting every shot. It was a real team game," CU head coach Ginger Colvin said.
The Lady Tigers had one of its largest performances of the season from their
bench, as CU's second and third wave of players combined for 48 points. Wendi
Messer, who seems to enjoy Saturday afternoons in the Mid-South Conference, led
CU at halftime with 14 points. She finished with a game-high 17 points after
leading CU with 18 off the bench last Saturday at Georgetown.
"That really got us going," Colvin said of Messer's first half. "We were very balanced scoring today."
Mackenzie Lee was the second-leading scorer of the bench with 11 points, while Keisha
Compton had back-to-back steals and lay-ups for four of her seven points with
10 minutes left to play.
Whitney Ballinger was 6-of-12 from the
floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line for 16 points. She played a short day,
finishing with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Megan Issacs also saw double figures, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and
a free throw.
The win is Campbellsville's 12-straight this season, including a 4-0 start to conference play.
"For us to come off the Lindsey Wilson win, which was such a high in a rivalry game, and play like we did, it says a lot of this team," Colvin said. "It'll be big for us to go (to Cumberlands) and keep our streak alive. They're a great team."
Campbellsville, 19-1 (4-0 MSC), travels to University of the Cumberlands, 15-5 (4-0 MSC), on Thursday for a 6 p.m. showdown of conference leaders
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BOX SCORE
Campbellsville (19-1, 4-0) will travel to the University of the Cumberlands on
Thursday for a 6 p.m. Mid-South game.
