MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. —Campbellsville women's basketball will play in its fourth multi-day tournament of the season, as the Lady Tigers open the second semester with a road trip to the Sunshine State to play in the Miami-Doral Hotels Classic on Dec. 28-30.
Campbellsville will play a trio of games against NAIA DII opponents – Purdue University Northwest, Thomas University and Johnson and Wales University – all at St. Thomas University's Fernandez Family Center.
The Lady Tigers and Purdue Northwest – which is ranked No. 14 in the NAIA DII poll – open the Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. ET. And the Lady Tigers play Thomas University at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29. Both games will be air on 88.7 The Tiger and the Campbellsville University Sports Network with
Jordan Alves on the radio call.
CU also plays Johnson and Wales on Friday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m.
Live video for all three games will be available, via the host school St. Thomas University, at the link above.
Campbellsville vs. Purdue Northwest
• This matchup marks the first game the Lady Tigers have played against an NAIA DII program this season.
• Purdue Northwest enters the game with 12-4 record and went 8-0 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference the first semester.
• Starting all 16 games with the same lineup, 10-year head coach Tom Megyesi's squad is led by Cassidy Deno's 19.7 points per game. Deno scored a season-high 29 points for Calumet College of St. Joseph and grabbed 14 rebounds vs. Judson.
• She is hitting 45 percent from 3-point (41-of-91) and 94 percent from the free throw line (63-of-67).
• Ellie Michalski leads the rebounding efforts with 8.5 boards per game and is flanked by Deno's 7.5.
Campbellsville vs. Thomas
• Thomas enters with a 4-6 record and 2-2 in The Sun Conference.
• The Night Hawks enter the Classic on a three-game losing streak – it's second of the season.
• Playing in just five games, Micah Garvin averages 14 points and eight rebounds per game but did not play in the final two contests of the first semester.
• J'Nyiah Daniels pitches in at 13.8 points per game and is hitting almost 39 percent from the 3-point line (47-of-118).
• Thomas' last contest came on Dec. 13 vs. Lindsey Wilson College, falling 100-57.
Campbellsville vs. Johnson and Wales
• The Wildcats struggled in the first semester with a 2-12 record and 1-2 inside The Sun Conference.
• Diamond Williams leads Johnson and Wales by averaging 17.7 points per game – she started the season with seven-straight 20-point performances and scored 20 or more in eight of the first nine games.
• The Wildcats play Western University on Dec. 29 before facing Campbellsville on Dec. 30.
Last time out – Campbellsville 76, Bethel 57
For the second straight game,
Emily Fox lit a flame to the nets with six 3-point baskets and led the sixth-ranked Lady Tigers with 21 points in a 76-57 win over No. 18 Bethel on Monday, Dec. 19.
• The Lady Tigers (11-2) finished the Mid-South Conference/ Southern States Challenge with a perfect 3-0 record, while Bethel (6-6) went home with a 1-2 record.
• Campbellsville hit 50 percent from the floor (30-of-60) and 43 percent (10-of-23) from deep tonight, compared to just 34 percent (20-of-58) from the field for the Wildcats.
•
Madison Stewart and
LeeAnn Grider also scored in double figures for Campbellsville with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Campbellsville goes 11-2 in first semester
• The Lady Tigers have played one of the best schedules in the country, with eight games against ranked or receiving votes opponents. CU has a 6-2 record in those nine games.
• CU started the year on a six-game win-streak before falling to then-No. 2 Westmont in the Jackson Champions Classic, 59-50.
• After pulling out a thrilling overtime victory over No. 23 Cumberland, the Lady Tigers didn't fair well against No. 5 Lindsey Wilson College, earning its biggest defeat vs. the Blue Raiders in the rivalry series.
• CU then-earned a forfeit victory over Carver College before sweeping three-straight in the MSC/SSAC Challenge on Dec. 17-19.
• Individually, coach
Ginger Colvin's Lady Tigers had to find a replacement for NAIA Player of the Year
Lindsey Burd... and they did that with a senior and a handful of underclassmen.
• It took a few games for sophomore
Jordan Doram to get her feet wet but ever since the fourth game of the season, Doram has had shining moments in the paint averaging by 8.1 points and a team-high seven rebounds per game.
• Even though she is undersized,
Madison Faulkner has been a surprise by stepping up and knocking down jumpers.
• But
Abby Miller has been the X-Factor on the defensive end. Not one to light up the stat sheet, Miller has been crucial in the Lady Tigers' 11-2 start and is a leader by example.
• Coming off injuries,
Madison Clements and
LeeAnn Grider have been the leaders CU needed. Clements averages 14 points per game, while hitting 45 percent from the field.
• Grider, who is coming off an ACL injury, plays the most minutes per game (29) and is a floor general at its nest. She scores eight points per game and dishes out 5.7 assists a night.
• Leading Campbellsville has been sharp-shooter
Emily Fox. The senior, who transferred in from Austin Peay her sophomore year, has become one of the best shooters in program history.
• Fox leads CU by scoring 15.5 points per game and is hitting 43 percent from deep.
