RIO GRANDE, Ohio – Lady Tiger basketball used a six-minute, 19-8 run to open the second half en route to its 10th straight win over University of Rio Grande, 80-64.
Campbellsville held the reigning Mid-South Conference and NAIA National Player of the Week, Brianna Thomas, to only five second-half points and Rio Grande never had an answer for the Lady Tiger pressure.
"We were able to put two or three players on her and kept rotating them throughout the game," said Lady Tiger head coach Ginger Colvin. "She's a great player but the credit goes to our defense today as we forced 22 turnovers and had 12 steals. LeeAnn (Grider) and Ellen (Sholtes) both did a great job but our zone was the difference maker today. We were able to wear some teams down a bit because our bench is so deep. We have been really consistent this year, and we don't lose anything when other step on the floor."
The Lady Tigers scored 24 points off Rio's 22 turnovers.
Katie Allen started right where she left off on Thursday night against Shawnee as the Fort Thomas, Ky., native hit a 3-pointer to open up the game for CU. She also hit one halfway through the first half for six points at halftime. The Lady Tigers struggled from behind the arc as they only hit 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) in the first 20 minutes.
With 9:45 left in the first half, and Rio leading 14-18, CU went on a 6-0 run to capture its first lead; which it never surrendered. LeeAnn Grider drove to the bucket and hit a short jumper, and then Hayley Hellyer came down on the next possession and hit a contested layup to tie the contest at 20.
On the next possession for Rio, Ellen Sholtes came up with a steal and went coast-to-coast but was fouled on a layup attempt by Thomas. Sholtes hit both free throws and gave CU its first lead.
Thomas kept the game close for the RedStorm as she scored 17 points in the first 20 minutes on 4-for-6 shooting, 2-for-2 from behind the 3-point line and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. No other Rio player scored more than six points and only three scored more than two.
Daizah Kimberland led the Lady Tigers in the first half with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting and 1-for-2 from the free throw line.
Hellyer also had six points along with Allen at the half as CU led 36-33.
In the second half, Kristen Jacob used a high-low lob pass to Kimberland for a layup to give CU it's largest lead thus far (14) at the 13:22 mark.
"Kristen doesn't light up the stat sheet but her hustle is something that does not go unnoticed," said Colvin as she gave the sophomore a high-five after the game. "She has done a great job all year and is a great defender."
Rio Grande started to come alive as it cut the lead to single digits on two Sarah Bonar free throws with 11:12 left, but Mary Jehlik scored five straight for Campbellsville. She spotted up in the left corner and received a pass from Allen to hit a 3-pointer. She was then fouled and hit two free throws to give CU a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
Thomas finally got on the board in the second half as she rebounded her own air ball but was fouled by Lindsey Burd. She hit both free throws and finished with a game-high 22 points.
Allen kept the Lady Tigers on track as she dribbled around the perimeter. She passed up an open 3-point shot,but a Rio defender stepped off her once again and Allen made her pay by knocking down her fourth 3-point basket of the day, giving CU a 68-53 lead.
"You can sit and look at the offensive stats for Katie but her defense has played a major role into her becoming the player she is," said Colvin. "She did a lot for us today on the defensive side, and I have been on her about her energy. But today she brought that energy I'm looking for and it showed."
Caroline Owen's second basket of the day proved to be the dagger Campbellsville was looking for. Owen finished with just five points but the 3-pointer came at the perfect time to dash the hopes of the RedStorm with 3:03 left on the clock.
Allen finished with a team-high 16 points and KImberland was just behind her with 15. Hellyer also finished in double-figures with 13 points.
The Lady Tigers move to 16-2 overall and 7-1 in the MSC for the first time since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. CU is also 12-1 against Rio Grande in history and has won 10 straight in the series since Rio joined the MSC in 2009-10. Colvin is now 10-1 against Rio since she took over the helm in 2006-07 and her teams are averaging 84.0 points per game while Rio is only averaging 62.2 points per game in the series.
"It's always a hard game for us while at Rio," said Colvin. "No matter what their record was last year (8-22) and this year (14-5) its always tough. They have another player (Bonar) who can compliment Thomas and it's hard to cover them both."
Campbellsville will return home to Powell Athletic Center on Thursday, Jan. 23 to host St. Catharine College. Game time is set for 6 p.m. You can follow the action on WLCU 88.7 FM and WLCUFM.com as Jay Turner and Matt Payton call the action. Live video will also be broadcasted on Comcast Channel 10 in Campbellsville and streamed online.
To follow Lady Tiger basketball throughout the rest of the 2013-14 season check them out on Twitter - @LTB_CU and @CvilleTigers and Facebook – Campbellsville Lady Tiger Basketball and Campbellsville Tigers.
