JACKSON, Tenn. — Lady Tiger basketball hit just six field goals and shot 22 percent in the second half, as No. 2 Westmont pulled out a 59-50 victory in the Jackson Rotary Classic at Oman Arena.
In the most anticipated regular season tournament of the year, Campbellsville went 1-1 overall on the weekend and its record falls to 6-1 overall. Westmont improved to 4-1 after falling to No. 1 MidAmerica Nazarene on Friday night, 56-53.
Aysia Shellmire led all scorers with 22 points and 15 rebounds – matching her career-high in boards. Lauren McCoy finished with 11 points and six blocks for Westmont, while
Abby Miller and
Madison Clements also led the Lady Tigers with 11.
The Lady Tigers came out on fire and took an 18-11 lead after the first quarter. CU finished with eight made baskets in that first frame (8-of-14) and scored 16 of its 18 points in the paint.
The second and third quarters were the total opposite, though. The Lady Tigers went almost six minutes without a basket in the second quarter but Miller hit a layup with 4:02 left to tie the game at 20-all.
Westmont out-scored CU 16-9 in the second period and knotted the game at 27 going into halftime.
In the second half,
Emily Fox made a deep 3-pointer from the left wing for the first of her eight points. Fox was smothered all night on the offensive end and finished hitting just 2-of-8 shots.
The Warriors defense caused havoc for Campbellsville all night, as CU finished with a season-high 21 turnovers and Westmont registered nine blocks. Compared to the Lady Tigers' 22 percent in the second half, Westmont was able to pull away by hitting 45 percent (9-of-20) in the final two quarters.
After
Lexxus Graham tied the game at 34 with 2:14 left in the third quarter, Westmont's Maud Ranger came off the bench to nail a 3 and was followed with a triple by Aimee Brakken to push WC's lead to six, 40-34.
The Warriors were able to push their lead to as big as 10 points, 50-40, after McCoy hit a pair of free throws with 4:18 left. A late 4-0 rally by Campbellsville was nullied by Westmont, as the Warriors went on a quick 5-0 run to push the lead back to double-digits, 55-45, with 2:11 left and control the rest of the game.
CU was able to keep the game close throughout by hitting 92 percent from the free throw line (11-of-12). But Westmont finished hitting 18-of-29 (62%) from the charity stripe.
Campbellsville will now enter Mid-South Conference play next week, as Cumberland University travels to Powell Athletic Center on Thursday, Dec. 1. The double-header for CU Hoops is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Fans can watch on WLCU-TV and CampbellsvilleTigers.com/watch, while radio coverage is available on 88.7 The Tiger.