COLUMBIA, Ky. - Crazy things happen in Mid-South Conference
play. In a month that's seen an ESPN Top 10 play and buzzer beating wins, one
of the most unpredictable performances may be the fourth-ranked Lady Tigers'
86-58 win at No. 12 Lindsey Wilson College in the Biggers Sports Center Monday
night.
"With as talented as they are and as well as they've been playing, if anybody
were to tell me that we'd win by 28, I'd say they were crazy," CU head coach
Ginger Colvin said.
Campbellsville shot out of the gate with a Courtney Danis layup off the tip. The
senior from Mt. Sterling, Ky., followed with a 3 to give CU an early 5-0 lead and
to move to No. 10 on the Lady Tigers' all-time scoring list with 1,666 career points.
She had nine in the game.
"She got the lid off the basket for us early. I give her a lot of credit with
just putting us at ease and we were able to roll from there," Colvin said.
Danis' 3 sparked a quick 3-of-5 team performance from 3 in the first four
minutes, as CU watched its lead grow to 11, 17-6, in the first five minutes.
The early lead was a true Lady Tiger show, as the reigning NAIA National Player
of the Year Whitney Ballinger did not attempt a shot until nearly eight minutes
into the game. The senior from Carrollton, Ky., finished five assists and two
blocks to accompany a double-double 24 points, 13 rebounds on 75 percent
shooting (9-of-12). With the performance she passed CU assistant coach Whitney
Lee for No. 8 on the all-time scoring list with 1,735 points.
"I think it's fitting that Whit (Lee) was sitting on the bench to watch it,"
Colvin said.
Mackenzie Lee and Courtney Clifton also scored in double-figures with 14 and 12
points, respectively.
CU worked its lead to 16 at the break, 48-26, on 66.7 percent from the field in
the first half and finished the night with a 59 percent performance from the
field. CU also had one of its highest assist totals of the MSC season with 19.
Campbellsville worked its lead to as many as 34 points and put Lindsey Wilson
in the bonus with nine minutes remaining in the game. While the Blue Raiders
took multiple trips to the charity stripe, they connected on only 4-of-7 tries.
The Lady Tigers held on to its large cushion in the 28-point win with the help
of bench points from the likes of Alexia Williams, Katie Allen, Hayley Hellyer,
Corin Dunn, Melly Heaton and Keisha Compton.
"Our bench has played really well lately, and we've got to continue doing that.
Alexia Williams came off the bench and gave us a spark again in the first half,
and I could just go down the list. Katie Allen also gave us some good minutes
tonight," Colvin said. "Something that's made us successful this season is how
unselfish we are as a team."
With the win, Campbellsville (17-3, 10-1) moves into a first-place tie in the
Mid-South Conference with No. 23 Shawnee State University. The Lady Tigers will
return home to the Powell Athletic Center on Thursday to host the University of
Rio Grande at 6 p.m. in a "Maroon Out" MSC doubleheader.
Lindsey Wilson (17-5, 8-3) will take Thursday night off and travel to the
University of the Cumberlands on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game.
STAT SUMMARY
Lindsey Wilson (58) - Anthony 21, Rainey
16, Krell 16, Gillis 5. Totals 25-61 7-17 56.
Lady Tigers (86) - Ballinger 24, Lee
14, Clifton 12, Danis 9, Allen 7, Isaacs 5, Hellyer 4, Williams 4, Heaton 3,
Compton 2. Totals 36-61 5-5 86.
Half-time - Campbellsville 48-26.
Three-point goals - Lindsey Wilson
1-10 (Gillis), Campbellsville 9-20 (Ballinger 3, Lee 2).
Rebounds - Lindsey Wilson 34,
Campbellsville 35 (Ballinger 13, Danis 4).
Assists - Lindsey Wilson 10,
Campbellsville 19 (Ballinger 5, Heaton 3, Lee 2, Allen 2, Williams 2).
Steals - Lindsey Wilson 7(Anthony 2,
Krell 2), Campbellsville 8 (Clifton 3).Blocked shots - Lindsey Wilson 2; Campbellsville
4 (Ballinger 2, Compton, Isaacs).
