CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Tiger basketball overcome a one point halftime deficit and hot shooting night from Freed-Hardeman's Marcus Baldwin to out-pace the Lions on Tuesday night, 90-80.
Baldwin notched a season-high 34 points after scoring 33 in his last game vs. Lindenwood-Belleville.
Shawn Johnson led the Tigers with a season-high 19 points and hit 4-of-6 from 3-point land. His 19 points is one off his career-high. Adam Stanford did score a career-high with 18 points and led the Tigers with six rebounds.
Hagen Tyler (14) and
Jalen Coates (12) also scored in double figures for Campbellsville (5-1).
It was a cold shooting night for the Tigers to start as Campbellsville went without a field goal for a little over six minutes. But in that span, the Lions (1-3) weren't able to capitalize by missing six straight shots and let CU stick around.
Freshman Jacob King ended the drought for CU with one of his career-high three 3-point baskets on the night but the Tigers continued to settle for the long-range jumper in the first half. CU went 6-of-19 from the arc in the opening half, while the Lions went 7-of-12.
FHU got into early foul trouble as well with the team fouls at 8-2 in Campbellsville's favor until the final media timeout at 5:32.
With just under four minutes left, Tyler and Johnson splash consecutive 3s and with 30 seconds left in the half, Johnson buried another to pull CU within one, 43-42, at halftime. The four 3-pointers for Johnson ties his career-high.
Campbellsville came out hot in the second half with a 16-7 run to jump ahead 58-50 with 15:56 left.
Tyler started the rally with one of his three 3-pointers, then he picked up a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup giving CU its first lead, 52-50, since the 6:21 mark in the first stanza.
Campbellsville continued this torrid pace and went on a 10-0 run to lead 58-50 before Freed-Hardeman called a timeout to stop the bleeding.
The Lions were able to cut Campbellsville's lead to three on three separate occasions but the Tigers would answer right back each time. After FHU cut the deficit to three, 64-61, with 10:39 left, it was the freshman King who rallied the troops with consecutive 3s – banking one of them in from the wing.
The Tigers went ahead by nine, 73-64, and eventually by double figures, 78-68 with 6:02 left. The CU lead got to as little as seven, 82-75, but that the Lions were unable to muster enough offense down the stretch.
Campbellsville finished the game hitting 48.6 percent (31-of-69) from the floor but Freed-Hardeman out-shot CU by compiling 50 percent (30-of-60).
The difference maker was the free throws, as Campbellsville hit 16-of-24 and FHU was 9-of-13.
Campbellsville will now enter the Thanksgiving holiday with a 5-1 record before hosting the CU Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24-25. CU will host Central Penn on Friday at 6 p.m. ET and Brescia University on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Brescia will play University of the Cumberlands on Friday at 4 p.m. and Central Penn on Saturday at 1:00. All games will be streamed online at CampbellsvilleTigers.com/watch.
