CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. -- If there was any wonder how Campbellsville University would respond to losing its home opener, it didn't take long for the Tigers to provide an answer. Shawn Savage connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the first two minutes to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead Saturday en route to a 73-52 win over Brescia University.

The win snapped a two-game losing skid in the Lou Cunningham Classic, after the Tigers lost Friday to Indiana Wesleyan University, 78-76, and lost the final game of last year's classic, 89-88, in overtime to Mid-Continent University.

The Tigers shot 64 percent from the floor in the first 10 minutes of the game Saturday, including 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Early sharp shooting resulted in a 21-point lead, 29-8, in the first 11 minutes of play for CU.

"There were a lot of guys that were more into the game (than last night), and that's what we needed yesterday," CU head coach Keith Adkins said. "We responded from some adversity to have a decent performance. I'm not happy with how well we played, but I am happy with our energy level and the amount of effort we brought throughout the game."

Aaron Tandy hit a 3-point for the visiting Bearcats with four minutes remaining in the first half to cut the lead to 15 points, 33-18, but that was as close as Brescia would get in Powell Athletic Center, as CU led by as many as 27 points in the second half.

Campbellsville's shooting cooled as the game went on, entering halftime with a 48.3 shooting percentage and shooting only 35 percent in the second half. Defensively, CU shut down the Brescia outside shot, allowing only 3-of-10 shooting beyond the arc.

The Tigers' scoring came in spurts by different players. Savage scored all 10 of his points in the first half, while Monie Hudson and Jonas Bohm also had 10. Off the bench, Sasha Mirosavljev led the charge early, scoring eight points and securing seven rebounds (both CU career highs) in his second Tiger home game.

"Sasha's a guy we want to get more playing time," Adkins said. "He has to cut out the small mistakes he's making, and hopefully some more playing time will take care of that. He's got good size, good athleticism and a good skill level."

JaVaughn Espritt led the Tigers with a double-double, 15 points, 13 rebounds. Caleb Harris had nine off the bench and Adrian Whelan scored five in his first home game as a senior.

One of the cool spots was Brandon Williams, who was 1-of-13 from the field and 1-of-8 from 3-point range.

"Brandon took a lot of 3's, but we're telling him to shoot it," Adkins said. "Right now he's got the in between game that we talk about, and he's pretty good at it. I think he's our best player off the dribble. We need to get him making more 3's consistently. When he does that, he'll be really, really tough."

Earlier in the day, Indiana Wesleyan, ranked No. 24 in NAIA Division II, knocked off the University of the Cumberlands, 74-71 on a late 3-pointer by Will Hubertz. The Wildcats rallied from eight down to knock of their second Mid-South Conference team in as many days to open the second day of the Lou Cunningham Classic.

Campbellsville (5-2) will travel to Gallatin County High School in Warsaw, Ky., on Monday to meet Asbury University in a neutral site game. The Tigers won the annual game in Warsaw last season over Shawnee State University, which will come to Powell Athletic Center on Thursday for the MSC opener at 8 p.m.

BOX SCORE

SCORING
Brescia (52) -  Tandy 15, Thornberry 6, Garrett 7, Hart 4, Smith 2, Jackson 14, Ray 2, McClendon 2. Totals 19-49 10-11 52.
Campbellsville (73) - Savage 10, Hudson 10, Espritt 15, Crittenden 3, Bohm 10, Harris 9, Whelan 5, Mirosavljev 8, Williams 3. Totals 27-66 10-15 73.
Half-time - Campbellsville 41-24.
Three-point goals - Brescia 3-10, Campbellsville 9-27 (Savage 3, Hudson 2, Harris 1, Whelan 1, Mirosavljev 1, Williams 1).
Rebounds - Brescia 31, Campbellsville 50 (Espritt 13, Mirosavljev 7, Harris 5).