Box Score CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. -- A Senior Night performance came early for JaVaughn Espritt, Caleb Harris and Shawn Savage. The trio of seniors combined for 72 points Thursday to power Campbellsville University to a 79-60 win over rival Lindsey Wilson College in a packed out Powell Athletic Center.

"You never go into a Lindsey Wilson game expecting to win by double figures. We don't talk about the rivalry, but the guys know and they don't want to lose," CU head coach Keith Adkins said. "Against the teams above us in the conference standings, this was one of our better performances. Hopefully we can trump that Saturday."

Lindsey Wilson took an 11-10 lead with 9:35 remaining in the first half before Savage sparked an 11-point Tiger run with back-to-back 3s. CU jumped out to a 21-11 lead and stretched the margin to 20 points for the first time, 35-15, on a free throw by Jonas Bohm. At the half, Campbellsville led 37-22 with the 15-point margin equal to Savage's scoring lead. He finished with 23 points.

The Tigers led by 20 most of the night, in a rare lopsided game against the Blue Raiders after Savage followed an Espritt block with a 3 at the 14:26 mark in the second half to go up 49-28. Espritt posted a career high seven blocks to go with his 13 rebounds and 24 points. The offensive leader for the night was Caleb Harris, who scored a silent 25 points and four assists, including 17 points in the second half.

Jeremiah Diebler helped Lindsey Wilson chip into the Tigers lead late in the second half with four 3s. He led his team in scoring with 12 points, followed by 11 points from Chase Cox and Justin Archie.

Brett Crittenden and Reggie Smith each hit 3s for CU to round out the Tigers' scoring.

Offensively, the Tigers shot 57.8 percent in the game and held Lindsey Wilson to 34.3 percent, while winning the rebound battle 38-33.

"When our top three scorers (Savage, Harris and Espritt) play offensively like they did tonight, we've got a chance to beat anybody in our league" Adkins said. "Even though Reggie only had three points, I thought he played a good game, and Brett played a really good game, playing 37 minutes without any turnovers.

The win completes a single-season sweep over Lindsey Wilson for the second-straight year and ninth time in Tiger basketball history. Prior to the men's game, the Lady Tigers also completed their second-straight season sweep over Lindsey Wilson with a 76-67 win. The university's two-year sweep for basketball is the first in the rivalry since the Tigers and Lady Tigers combined for a three-year run from the 1992-93 season to 1994-95.

The Tigers are now 30-22 all-time against their closest rival and have a four game win streak in the series, the longest since winning nine in the early 90s.

Campbellsville also clinched the top seed in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Mid-East Region. Should the Tigers not make the NAIA Tournament, CU will host the NCCAA Mid-East semifinal and final at Powell Athletic Center during the second week of March.

CU (16-13, 9-8 MSC) will close out the regular season Saturday with a 4 p.m. game against University of the Cumberlands on Senior Day. Lindsey Wilson (19-9, 10-7 MSC) travels to St. Catharine College. The Tigers' game will be televised in Campbellsville on Comcast channel 10 and online at CampbellsvilleTigers.com. Live audio can be heard in Central Kentucky on K-Country 105.7 FM and online at KCountry1057.com.


STAT SUMMARY
Lindsey Wilson (60) - Diebler 12, Archie 11, Cox 11, Stewart 7, Duncan 6, Clemons 6, Baker 4, Kimberland 2, Spreen 1.
Tigers (79) - Harris 25, Espritt 24, Savage 23, Crittenden 3, Smith 3, Bohm 1.
Halftime - Campbellsville 37-22.
Three-point goals - Lindsey Wilson 8-22 (Diebler 4, Cox 3, Clemons), Campbellsville 11 (Savage 7, Harris 2, Smith, Crittenden).
Rebounds - Lindsey Wilson 33 (Baker 5), Campbellsville 38 (Espritt 13, Smith 5).
Assists - Lindsey Wilson 5 (Archie 2), Campbellsville 12 (Harris 4, Savage 3, Smith 2, Whelan 2).
Steals - Lindsey Wilson 14 (Clemons 3, Archie 3, Spreen 3), Campbellsville 4 (Crittenden 2).
Blocks - Lindsey Wilson 0, Campbellsville 9 (Espritt 7, Smith, Harris).