CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – With 14:15 left in the second half, the Campbellsville University men's basketball team faced their largest deficit of their Saturday evening game against Philander Smith College.
The Panthers led 40-25 in the Powell Athletic Center but the Tigers went on to outscore PSC 43-23 to close out the game with a 68-63 victory for CU to earn their second-straight win.
Sophomore guard
Sam Weining led the way offensively for Campbellsville during that extended run to close the half, scoring 12 of the 42 points including back-to-back threes to help push the Tiger lead to nine points at 64-55. Weining finished with a team-high 16 points while adding eight rebounds, two steals and a block with all but two points coming in the second half.
The Panthers did not quit, cutting the lead to three points at 66-63 at one point but clutch free throw shooting from
Taiveyhon Mason and
Jacob King was able to help close out the win for CU. Dejalin Austin for PSC led all players in the game with 26 points on 9-of-23 shooting while adding four rebounds and four assists.
Junior forward
Justin Tucker finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double in a Tiger uniform as he went 4-of-5 from the field with a three-point field goal converted in the first half.
Campbellsville struggled from the three-point line, finishing 6-for-23 (26.1%) from deep but also limited the Panthers to just four three pointers in the game. The Tigers also had an advantage from the free throw line in the game with CU taking nine more free throws (24-15) than Philander Smith and making seven more (18-11) in the game.
Ronald Taylor scored in double figures for the fifth time in six games, finishing with 14 points and four rebounds while going 5-of-11 from the field. Taylor was the team-leader in minutes played with 36 of the possible 40 minutes on the floor.
Mason was a threat all over the floor, especially in the second half as he finished with eight points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. All three of the steals came in the second half during their comeback run and led to Campbellsville baskets, including one and-one layup to cut the PSC lead to 51-50.
The Tigers will now play their first and only Mid-South Conference game of the 2019 portion of the 2019-20 schedule as they travel to Columbia, Ky. next Saturday, Dec. 7, to take on Lindsey Wilson College.
