SPRINGFIELD, Ky. – Campbellsville Lady Tiger basketball scored 51 bench points and shot 51.2 percent from the floor to almost double the points scored by St. Catharine College, winning 101-51.
With the win, Campbellsville (24-3, 14-2 MSC) clinched at least a share of the Mid-South Conference regular season championship. CU holds a two-game lead over Georgetown College (18-6, 12-4 MSC) with two conference games remaining.
"This was a big win for us to get back on the right track," said CU head coach Ginger Colvin. "We used our depth to overcome a short-handed St. Catharine team and outplayed them in every fashion of the game."
The Lady Tigers used their defensive pressure early to force havoc for the Patriots. Campbellsville stepped up its extended 2-3 zone pressure. CU picked up four steals and forced six early turnovers in just six minutes of play.
Campbellsville also overmatched St. Catharine on the offensive side of the floor. The Lady Tigers did not shoot the ball well in the first 11 minutes. CU sat at only 30 percent (10-for-30) but hit the offensive boards heavily. Out of the first 18 rebounds for CU, 10 were on the offensive side.
The Lady Tigers went even more frigid from the floor, as they did not score from 12:16 to 8:46. Mary Jehlik broke the scoreless streak and sparked a 7-0 run off a Jehlik jumper, 3-pointer by Caroline Owen and a Daizah Kimberland layup. Kimberland's and Jehlik's field goals were both after offensive rebounds.
St. Catharine head coach Lena Bramblett was forced to call three early timeouts in the opening stanza, as she only came into the game with seven players on the roster. But Colvin did not loosen the defensive pressure for her team and forced 12 turnovers.
"That was our number one focus coming into tonight's game," said Colvin. "We tried to make them run up-and-down the court. I didn't think we attacked them very well at our place earlier in the year. We wanted to attack the defensive glass but also the offensive glass."
The Lady Tigers jumped to their biggest lead of 23 points late in the first half after Katie Allen hit a jumper just outside the paint.
The seniors led CU in the first stanza. Ellen Sholtes (13) and Allen (10) both scored in double digits. The duo also picked up a combined four steals to lead the team.
Campbellsville ended the first half on a 24-12 run in the final 9:12 to lead 47-28.
Campbellsville played with a little chip on its shoulder tonight after having its 11-game win streak snapped in a loss to Shawnee State University, 80-63, on Saturday, Feb. 15.
"Absolutely we came in with a chip on our shoulder," said Colvin. "We let a game get away from us last week and it kept us from clinching an out-right championship tonight."
The Lady Tigers built a 30-8 run in the first 11 minutes of the second half to extend its scoring run to 54-20 run since the 9:12 mark in the first half. St. Catharine's first points of the second half didn't come until 16:16 remaining on a basket by Sasha Ruiz-Lopez.
Colvin was able to give her deep bench a lot of minutes in the game, as she checked in her second and third teams with 10 minutes remaining.
Lindey Young checked in at the 15-minute mark and made her presence known as the junior hit a high arching fade-away jumper off the glass. She led the way for the reserves, as she was one-point short of her career-high with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting and 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
Freshman forward Macie Spence followed with eight points off 4-for-6 shooting in the final 10 minutes.
CU's bench scored more than half of the Lady Tiger points tonight, 51 out of the 101.
"I am so happy for our bench players to get the minutes they did tonight," said Colvin. "They bust their butts every day in practice and do not get the glory but they push our first team, and that is what makes us so good. Nobody cares who scores as long as we win. The team comes first, and not the individual."
Campbellsville's biggest lead of 50 points came late in the game after Bramblett took out her senior starters who were playing in the final game at Lourdes Hall.
Campbellsville finished with 33 points off 22 SCC turnovers. CU had 14 steals in the game.
Sholtes led CU with 15 points, while Kimberland (12), Allen (12), Hayley Hellyer (10) and Young (11) all finished in double figures.
Campbellsville now moves to 18-1 over St. Catharine College overall, with the Patriots only victory came on Feb. 18, 2012 in Lourdes Hall. CU is an overall 5-1 while playing in Springfield, Ky.
CU, which has now clinched a share of its 12th MSC title and 18th overall conference title, is only one win away from winning the championship out-right. Georgetown College defeated Lindsey Wilson Thursday, 79-67, to hold out its hopes of a share.
"We do not want a share of the MSC title," said Colvin. "We have to finish strong and sweep our competition next weekend.
The Lady Tigers will travel to Oakland City University for a non-conference game Saturday at 2 p.m., and then will close the regular season next week with a trip to the University of Pikeville and Bluefield College next week. CU will face off against the Lady Bears on Thursday, Feb. 27 with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. ET, and then will tip at Bluefield on Saturday, March 1 at 2 p.m. ET.
To follow Lady Tiger basketball, check them out on Twitter- @LTB_CU and @CvilleTigers. Also on Facebook – Campbellsville Tigers.
