When it comes to Mid-South Conference play, T.J. Bishop is milking his senior season for all its worth. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native scored eight of Campbellsville University's last 12 points to steal a road victory at University of the Cumberlands, 65-61, Thursday night.

The win is only the third at the Rollins Center in Williamsburg, Ky., in the Keith Adkins era. It also keeps the No. 9 Tigers atop the Mid-South Conference in now only a two-way tie with Pikeville College after St. Catharine knocked off No. 18 Georgetown in overtime.

"We get to enjoy this to about London, which is about 30 miles," CU head coach Keith Adkins said. "We have to focus now on St. Catharine. They're fighting to get back in this race, and with the win tonight, a win over us Saturday puts them back in the mix of it."

Bishop's rally began with 2:09 to play, as he buried a 3-pointer with one second on the shot clock to give the Tigers a two-possession lead, 56-52. In a game of lead changes, it was a lead the Patriots were never able to overcome. He finished with 17 points and four 3-pointers, bringing his MSC average to 15.6 points per game.

While Bishop managed to hold the lead for CU, the real story line of the game was defense and missed free throws. Campbellsville held the Patriots to 36 percent shooting from the floor in the final seven minutes and the Pats missed 15 free throws in the final period. CU had nine misses at the line in the final 20 minutes.

"This was really about who could miss the most free throws," Adkins said. "But like I told my guys, there's no category for ugly wins. It's a win, and we'll take it."

Nestor Colmenares, who finished with 22 points in the game, powered the Tigers in the opening minutes to an 8-2 lead. Cumberlands quickly evened the score, 8-8, and from there on it was a gridlock.

Caleb Harris had 10 points, including four free throws to help the Tigers hold their late lead. He fouled out with 14 seconds to play, joining Leon Hart and Brett Crittenden who each exited the game early due to fouls. The Tigers were called for 31 fouls in the physical game, while the Patriots had 22.

Campbellsville (16-5, 5-1 MSC) hosts St. Catharine College (14-7, 2-3) Saturday at 4 p.m. Though a winter weather advisory is in alert for Central Kentucky, the game is still on schedule at this time. Watch CampbellsvilleTigers.com for any changes.

PHOTO GALLERY

SHORT BOX

Campbellsville University (16-5, 4-1 NAIA #9)
T.J. Bishop 4-10 5-10 17, Shawn Savage 1-3 0-2 3, Jordan Benock 1-4 0-0 2, Joe Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, Brett Crittenden 2-5 0-0 4, Jonas Bohm 0-0 0-0 0, Nestor Colmenares 9-12 4-7 22, Justin Vitatoe 0-3 1-2 1, Leon Hart 2-3 0-0 4, JaVaughn Espritt 1-5 0-1 2, Caleb Harris 4-7 2-5 10. Totals 24-53 12-27 65

Univ of the Cumberlands K (13-7, 2-3)
Anthony Snell 1-3 2-4 4, Adrion Graves 2-7 1-2 6, Travis Harvey 1-5 1-2 3, Chad Byron 3-6 5-8 11, Rodney Jones 0-1 0-2 0, Tanner Jacobs 3-4 3-4 9, Nathaniel Mitchell 3-6 6-6 13, Bernard Cherry 0-1 2-2 2, Dustin Fothergill 1-2 0-0 2, Brandon Russ 4-7 3-12 11. Totals 18-42 23-42 61

 

SCORE BY PERIODS	1st	2nd	TOTAL
Campbellsville University	26	39	65
Univ of the Cumberlands K	24	37	61

FG%: Campbellsville University .453, Univ of the Cumberlands K .429. 3-pt FG:Campbellsville University 5-19 (Bishop 4-9, Savage 1-3, Benock 0-1, Crittenden 0-3, Vitatoe 0-1, Harris 0-2), Univ of the Cumberlands K 2-6 (Graves 1-2, Byron 0-1, Mitchell 1-3). Rebounds: Campbellsville University 31 (Colmenares 7), Univ of the Cumberlands K 33 (Jacobs 7). Fouls Campbellsville University 28, Univ of the Cumberlands K 22. Fouled out: Harris Crittenden Espritt Hart . Technical: RUSS. Assists: Campbellsville University 13 (Bishop 4, Colmenares 4), Univ of the Cumberlands K 6 (Mitchell 2). Steals: Campbellsville University 5 (Bishop 1, Savage 1, Crittenden 1, Vitatoe 1, Harris 1), Univ of the Cumberlands K 7 (Harvey 2, Mitchell 2). Blocked shots: Campbellsville University 1 (Espritt 1), Univ of the Cumberlands K 0. Turnovers: Campbellsville University 12, Univ of the Cumberlands K 14.