Box Score

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University picked up its second Mid-South Conference win of the season as it held off a pesky University of the Cumberlands team, 68-62.

 

"Bottom line this is a win we needed," said coach Keith Adkins. "We are starting to get inside the conference schedule and to only have one MSC win in six games, it would not put us in a good position down the stretch."

 

Campbellsville opened shooting only 36.2 percent from the 3-point line, but the Tigers went 4-for-6 from behind the arch in the opening six-plus minutes and jumped to a 21-2 lead.

 

Cumberlands made it a game as the Patriots only shot 20 percent in the first 12 minutes but shot 36 percent in the final 28.

 

The Patriots got their first lead on a 3 by Taylor Gover at the 6:18 mark of the second half, but Campbellsville's Darius Clement answered with a 3-pointer of his own to give the Tigers the lead back, 57-55.

 

Both teams traded leads for the next three possessions but Campbellsville was able to go up 62-59 with 2:11 on the clock.

 

The Tigers were able to extend their lead to six points with :43.6 left in the game as DeMarcus Page and Eric Gaines picked up misses by Clement and put CU ahead 66-60.

 

After a Cumberlands basket by R.J. Scott put the game back to a four-point difference, Campbellsville iced the game at 68-62 on free throws by Jordan Myers and Quin Richardson.

 

"Cumberlands had more experience than us so I expected them to battle back and make it a game at the end. That is what makes college basketball so great is that no lead is ever too big," said Adkins.

 

Campbellsville opened the game on fire with Gaines, Myers, Clement and Page all hitting 3-point jumpers. But Cumberlands started to chip away at the Campbellsville 16-point lead. The Patriots went on a 10-5 run to cut the lead in half to 23-15. Tracey Bradley scored six of the 10 points for UC during that stretch.

 

"I'm not saying I want to not have a run like that but I would much rather have it at the end of the game instead of the beginning," said a laughing Adkins. "They had so much time to battle back into the game and they have a team that has battled through adversity all year as they came back from being down at St. Catharine. It shows a lot about their team."

 

Cumberlands ended up getting CU's first-half lead down to four points on two free-throws for Shaquille Lowery, 26-22. But Campbellsville did not let the four-point lead last long as A'Darius Pegues picked up an offensive rebound and scored from the right block. Clement then hit two free throws to get the lead back out to eight points.

 

Campbellsville led at the half 34-25.

 

Coming out of the break the Tigers starting hitting the boards as it held the Patriots to only 13 second-half rebounds.

 

Page showed his athleticism as the 6-foot-one freshman forward picked up an offensive rebound and finished with a big flush to get the 700-plus fans in attendance to their feet.

 

"DeMarcus played great tonight and that is where we are wanting him to get by season's end," said Adkins. "He is a smaller forward who will have to use his speed and athleticism in the paint with the bigger opponents. The college game is a lot faster but he did a great job tonight."

 

But the dunk did not faze Cumberlands. It came out a lot more focused in the second half. The Patriots got the lead down to four on their own dunk by Kenny Cowser with 8:00 left on the clock.

 

But after Clover gave Cumberlands its first lead, Campbellsville finished on a 14-7 run. CU closed out the game with two key free throws, one each by Richardson and Myers.

 

Gaines finished the night one rebound shy of a double-double, as he had 17 points and nine boards. Clement was the only other Tiger in double figures as he finished with 14. Mile Rice missed double digits by one point as he finished with nine.

 

"Eric gets a lot of credit tonight because he gutted it out the last few days. He has been dealing with a dehydration problem but he showed his resiliency and toughness tonight when I asked if he needed a break down the stretch and he said he was good to go. I am proud of Eric as well."

 

The Tigers got back to .500 on the season with the win tonight as they are now 7-7 overall and 2-4 in the MSC.

 

CU will resume play next week on the road. CU plays Shawnee State University Thursday, Jan. 16 with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET. Then they will travel from SSU to the University of Rio Grande with a matchup against the RedStorm on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.

 

"We are looking at a team (Shawnee) which is trying to fill big shoes they lost last season," said Adkins. "We have never gone there and played well so it will be a challenge. When we go to Rio it will be tough. They are the most improved team in the league and could be the best team in the league after big wins against Cumberlands and Georgetown. It will be a big weekend for us."

 

To follow Campbellsville on the road, go to www.WLCUFM.com and WLCU 88.7 in Campbellsville and surrounding cities. Also check out the Tigers @CvilleTigers. And on Facebook - Campbellsville Tigers.