CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Cumberland went on a decisive 15-5 run in the middle of the second half and Campbellsville was unable to make enough shots late, as the Phoenix upset the 11th-ranked Tigers, 72-69.
Erik Kinney led all scorers with a career-high 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for Campbellsville (6-4, 0-1 MSC) but Cumberland (4-5, 1-1 MSC) scored 24 points off 20 turnovers for the Tigers.
Diondrey Holt netted 18 points and Delaryn Dodd posted 15 points and seven rebounds for Cumberland, including a huge board on a missed 1-and-1 in the final seconds to give the Phoenix another chance to keep their late lead.
The Tigers shot 46 percent from the floor, 39 percent from deep and nailed 14-of-18 free throws to keep the deficit close in the second half.
In the first half, Cumberland took the first lead and never surrendered it until Campbellsville went on an 8-0 run to knot the game at 18-all. After the Phoenix went ahead by seven points, 31-24 with 3:26 left in the first half, the Tigers rallied once more with a 10-0 run to lead 34-31.
Going into the halftime intermission, CU lead 34-33.
Campbellsville kept the advantage until 16:47 was left, when Jamonte Graham nailed a 3-pointer. That 3 by Graham sparked a 9-0 run for the Phoenix, as they took a 46-39 lead with 15:28 to play. Graham finished with 11 points and paced the Phoenix with three triples.
Campbellsville fought back once more, cutting the lead to two, 46-44, with 13:49 left, but that was as close as the Tigers would come the rest of the way. Cumberland went on its 15-5 run over a span of seven-plus minutes and CU couldn't recover.
With 2:29 left and Cumberland leading 67-56, Campbellsville threw one final punch but the Phoenix stayed on their feet. The Tigers went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to six points, 69-63, with 49 seconds left.
Holt was fouled with 28 seconds remaining and missed the bonus free throw but Dodd ended up sealing the victory for Cumberland by grabbing the offensive board. Cameron Johnson was fouled and ended up making both free throws pushing the Cumberland lead back to eight, 71-63.
Rod Lawrence nailed a 3 with 12 seconds left and
Elliott Young made another with three seconds remaining but it was too little to late for Campbellsville.
Lawrence finished with 12 points, while
Antonio Chapman had 11 after hitting three triples. Young finished with 10 points to round of double-figure scoring.
Campbellsville returns to the Powell Athletic Center on Saturday, Dec. 3, as Lindsey Wilson comes to Tiger Town. Tipoff of the doubleheader with the Lady Tigers starts at 2 p.m. ET.
