LEBANON, Tenn. - The Campbellsville University men's basketball team headed to Lebanon, Tennessee for a Mid-South matchup Thursday night. The Tigers finish the match falling to the Phoenix with a score of 77-61 and now hold a 2-3 record within the conference on the season.
The Tigers were off-balance to begin the game as the Phoenix went on a 5-0 run. The Tigers struggled to sink their good looks.
Keaston Brown answered this deficit with a steal to turn over possession. Then, on offense, the Tigers moved the ball around the perimeter and Sam Whining went on to nail a three-pointer assisted by
Darius Harding. Down by eight, Brown poked the ball for another steal that led to a fast break dunk by
Malachi De Sousa. Campbellsville worked against Cumberland's active man-to-man defense. The Phoenix's intensity did not ease up, but Campbellsville found ways to claw back.
Jarius Key broke through contact under the basket to put up two for the Tigers and then
Jace Wallace followed suit to give the Tigers a five-point discrepancy to the Phoenix. Eventually, the half would end 39-36 with the Tigers trailing.
At the half, the Tigers were shooting 55.6 percent at the arc whereas they shoot 32.8 percent from the area on the season. The Tigers were also making sure their free throw opportunities were capitalized on. Wallace and Broughton were both 2-2 from the line and Carmical sat at 3-4. From the stripe, Campbellsville shot an 87.5 percent compared to their 69.9 percent for the 2021-22 season.
To begin the second half, the Tigers were racing to even the score against the Phoenix. However, after a few turnovers, Cumberland was able to grow their lead to eight points. After several possessions of Campbellsville searching for a bucket, Harding pulled up at the three-point line to put the Tigers back to a single-digit shortfall. Due to mounting turnovers and lackluster shooting, Campbellsville began to slip further back. With seven minutes remaining, the Phoenix accumulated a 17-point lead. Cumberland was able to sustain their first half momentum but the Tigers struggled to stay consistent. With 2:30 left on the clock, the Phoenix slowed play to a crawl and bled the clock. Campbellsville accumulated 16 turnovers (11 of which were Phoenix steals) which allowed Cumberland to cultivate 12 points. The Tigers were unable to ever lead the contest and fell 77-61.
Wallace finished the night leading the Tigers with 16 points as his teammates Broughton (11) and De Sousa (10) followed in scoring. Wallace's team-high 11 rebounds earned him a double-double, the sophomore's second on the season. The next to follow in rebounds was Key with seven.
The Tigers will compete next in Powell Athletic Center against Lindsey Wilson College for the Battle of Highway 55. The match will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.
