KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Campbellsville rallied its way back Monday night after being down by 16 in the second half, but it just wasn't enough as Mid-America Christian defeated the Tigers 93-89 in the Fab Four game of the NAIA National Tournament.
The Tigers went into halftime down by 11 points after the Evangels went on a 30-16 run in the opening quarter. Mid-America Christian blistered the nets hitting 22-of-38 (57.9 percent) from the field and 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Campbellsville stayed within reach by hitting 15-of-18 free throws.
"There are a lot of things that plagued us throughout the season that came back tonight to haunt us," said coach Keith Adkins. "Those things weren't here during the first three games of the tournament. But you know what, we had every opportunity to fold up and be down and say enough is enough but we didn't. We had a chance to win at the end. On a stage like this, that is about all you can do."
The Tigers went to work in the second half after being down by as many as 16 points at the 15:36 mark. Playing their fourth game in five days, the Tigers, a major 3-point basket ball club, went to work in the paint. Campbellsville recorded 30 points around the rim after only scoring eight in the first half.
Sekou Harris started the 22-3 run, scoring two of his 17 second-half points. Ron Scott followed suit with another contested layup as Harris scored six straight for the Tigers. It was a team effort as Campbellsville fought back to only be down by two, 74-72, when Mid-America Christian called a full timeout to regroup.
Elliott Young pushed CU's largest lead of the second half, hitting a 3-pointer for his only points of the game, to put the Tigers go up by four with eight minutes left.
The Evangels and the Tigers went back and fourth, each taking turns with the lead in the remaining minutes. With 1:15 left on the clock, Harris sank two free throws to tie the game for the 15th time, 89-89. The next minute was full of missed shots from both teams until Malcolm Mann connected on a two-point basket with nine seconds left.
With MACU leading by two, 91-89, Harris drove the lane and missed a contested shot forcing the Tigers to foul to extend the game. Bryon Miller missed both free-throws, giving Campbellsville the ball with three seconds left. Rob Robinson overthrew his teammates on a full-court pass giving the ball back to MACU. After another foul, Miller stepped back up to the free throw line and sank both shots with two seconds left, putting the game out of reach for the Tigers, 93-89.
Four Tigers shared double-digit scoring as Sekou Harris led the way with a career-high 30 points and five assists. Going 10-of-20 from the floor, 3-of-5 from the 3-point line and recording a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
Dii'jon Allen-Jordan recorded his 16th double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Allen-Jordan added three blocks, two steals and an assist. He went nearly perfect from the free-throw line, sinking 9-of-10.
Rob Robinson and Ron Scott recorded 13 and 11 points, respectively. Robinson added seven rebounds while Scott dished out five assists.
The Evangel ranks fourth in the NAIA in total scoring (1,444), averaging 89.7 points per game, they exceeded that number tonight. Devonse Reed led the way for MACU recording 30 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Mid-America Christian shot better from beyond the arc at 54.3 percent (15-of-22) than they did from the floor, 47.8 percent (32-of-67). The Evangels had three other players in double-digits — Bryon Miller (16), Malcom Mann (14) and Nick Tate (11).
MACU also ranks fourth in the country in offensive rebounds, and grabbed 11 tonight, outrebounding the Tigers 46-34.
Campbellsville says good-bye to four seniors, Allen-Jordan, Harris, Robinson and Scott — who were part of matching the longest run in CU men's basketball history — the Fab Four.
