PIKEVILLE, Ky. – The Tigers traveled to eastern Kentucky to play in the Bears of Pikeville. The Tigers sought a much-needed win after dropping their last four appearances. The Bears came into this match-up 6-6 and 3-4 in conference play. It seemed like Pikeville simply couldn't miss as they cruised past Campbellsville, 92-59.
The Bears jumped ahead after putting up a three, which would be the story of the first half. The Tigers and Bears stayed knotted up through the first five minutes of the half, even with the Bears getting off to a hot start from beyond the arc. Campbellsville created good opportunities from Pikeville turnovers but continued to reel from the Bears' shooting. Pikeville continued lighting it up and started to pull away from Campbellsville, going up 19-10. The Bears' shooting kept them rolling through the media break at the ten-minute mark. Pikeville went up by 14 on the Tigers, 30-16. The Bears were shooting at a blistering rate, 8-9 from behind the arc and 10-13 from the field. The Tigers could not convert at the same rate, although they were a reasonable 7 of 14 from the floor. The Bears sustained their scorching start going up by 20 on the Tigers, 38-18. Campbellsville was able to battle back a bit, getting the margin back down to 17 points. Halftime sounded with Pikeville firmly in the driver's seat leading 47-30.
Jace Wallace led the Tigers through the first half with nine points on the board, three rebounds, and two assists. The Tigers put together a decent first half going a respectable 12-27 from the field but a paltry 1-7 from behind the arc.
The second half started with Pikeville coming out of the locker room right where they left off, sinking two quick layups on Campbellsville before the Tigers could respond. Campbellsville worked to fight their way back in the game, catching up and getting the deficit back down to 19 before the Bears added to their total, ending the run and putting the deficit back to 23 with six minutes gone in the half. Pikeville continued their dominance at the offensive end halfway through the half with a 26-point lead over Campbellsville. The two teams traded buckets for a few minutes until the Bears opened up their lead even further up to 30 after hitting a three-pointer and a quick layup right after. The game concluded with the Tigers taking a 33-point loss to the Bears.
Campbellsville was led in scoring by Wallace, who finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Following him was
Chandler Clements, who finished with 11 points. The Tigers, as a team, shot 22 of 54 from the field and 4 of 18 from behind the arc. Pikeville outscored Campbellsville at every level and did so more efficiently as well. For the game, the Bears hit 58.6% (34-58) of their total attempts, 59.1 % (13-22) of their three-point shots, and bested the Tigers in the paint by ten (32-22 points, respectively).
Campbellsville will play conference opponent Shawnee State on December 17th at Powell Athletic Center. Tipoff will be at 3 p.m. ET following the conclusion of the women's game.
