FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Campbellsville Lady Tigers took the stage at the NAIA National Championships with an outstanding victory over Wiley College (Texas), 71-55, Wednesday night in the Frankfort Convention Center. CU held the Wildcats 27 points below their points per game average (82). Seniors Courtney Clifton and Mackenzie Lee led Campbellsville with 19 and 16 points, respectively.
"We handled Wiley's athleticism very well," said head coach Ginger Colvin. "It took the first two minutes of the game to calibrate how quick they were, but once we understood, we adjusted and switched to four guards and one post the majority of the game. Our zone hurt them a lot tonight. We didn't really have much information on the team but we hoped that the zone would be effective and it was. They didn't get in any type of tempo. All in all, we had a very good team effort tonight and I am really proud of the girls."
Wiley, ranked No. 1 in the nation for steals, certainly lived up to its reputation in the first couple minutes of the contest, coming up with three immediate take aways. The Wildcats jumped ahead 6-2 at the 17:53 mark of the game, two shots coming off of Lady Tiger turnovers.
A couple of back-to-back shots from CU leading scorers, Lee and Clifton, quickly reversed the scoreboard, allowing the Lady Tigers to lead 7-6. Wiley would trail the rest of the game.
The Lady Tigers ended up beating Wiley at its own game the first period, forcing the team into committing 13 turnovers.
Despite 11 points from WC's Chinwendu Mbah, Campbellsville ended up pulling ahead by double-digits, going into the half ahead by 14, 42-28.
Clifton totaled 12 points in the half, including two three-pointers, followed by Ellen Sholtes and Keisha Compton who each had six.
Lee started the second half with a quick five-point run for the Lady Tigers giving CU its largest lead of the game (19), 47-28 at the 18:28 mark.
It didn't take long for the momentum to shift, though, the Lady Wildcats finding a new energy while Campbellsville went cold. Wiley went on a 16-5 run in the course of three minutes, pulling within single digits once again (52-44). After shooting nearly 55 percent in the first half, the Lady Tigers hit only three field goals in the initial 7:30 of the second.
Fortunately, a Lee 3-pointer from the left wing finally broke the dead spell for CU (8:32), allowing the Lady Tigers to advance to a double-digit lead once again, 55-44.
Wiley was unable to cut the deficit any lower the remainder of the period, ending the game down by 16 (71-55).
Clifton ended as the leading scorer (19) and rebounder (7), including four makes from behind the arc. Lee followed with 16 points and five rebounds, with two from long-range. Compton was next in line, totaling eight points on the night.
Other Lady Tiger scorers include: Sholtes (7), Mrashi Karumba (5), Lindsey Burd (4), Daizah Kimberland (4), Hayley Hellyer (4), Katie Allen (2), and Mary Jehlik (2).
Mbah ended as the top-scorer for WC with 17 points and eight rebounds. She was followed by Latika Smith with 14 points and Aliesha Carruthers with 11.
Campbellsville's defeat snaps Wiley's 11-game win streak and ends its season at 29-4.
CU will advance to the second round for the third time in four years, meeting the No. 1 team in the nation, Freed Hardeman University, Friday at 6:15 p.m. EDT. CU is 3-2 against FHU all-time, including 1-1 in the NAIA postseason.
"We have been tested a lot this season," said Colvin. "Our team has faced 17 of the 32 teams here in the national tournament, so there isn't much that scares us. We are going to come out with everything we have Friday and I am pretty confident in that."
Six Mid-South Conference teams are in the tournament, more than any other conference represented. Shawnee State and CU are the only two to have played their initial game, both in victories. Colvin hopes to see all MSC teams advance.
"I would love nothing more than for our conference to keep winning. It would be pretty incredible to see all six teams in the Sweet 16."
To continue following the Lady Tigers as they journey through the NAIA National Championships, visit the team's tournament central webpage, here. Richard RoBards, CU assistant sports information director and a Lady Tiger travel companion, will also post a behind the scenes daily diary entry.
