MIAMI,
Fla. — #3 Lady Tiger Basketball began their stint at St. Thomas University over the holiday break participating in their Holiday Invitational. The first day saw Campbellsville take on the 9-3 Florida Memorial Lions who were on a seven-game win streak. The only time the Lions led was 2-0, then the Lady Tigers took over winning the game 87-64.
The Lady Tigers went into the contest with impressive offensive statistics in the NAIA: #1 in assists per game (20.9), #1 in field goal percentage (51%), #4 in points per game (86.9), #5 in three-point percentage (38.4%), and #6 in turnovers per game (12.4). However, it was Campbellsville's defense that set the tone snagging nine total turnovers from Florida Memorial. Although the Lady Tigers allowed the Lions the first bucket of the game, Campbellsville scored seven straight and forced Florida Memorial into four turnovers in that time. The Lady Tigers had five turnovers of their own in the first quarter, but they held the Lions to just two points in their attempts to capitalize while they themselves made the most of Florida Memorial's mistakes with 13 points. The Lady Tigers couldn't miss from deep either going 4-5 from distance.
Elizabeth Bertram was 2-2 from long distance while
Maddy Boyle hit her only attempt and
Sarah Sutton missed one and made one.
Heading into the second quarter the score was 24-7 and Campbellsville's pressure didn't relent and that made for open shots on the other end. Midway through the period, the Lady Tigers were shooting 63.6% while the Lions were hovering around 36%. The rebound discrepancy began to widen too with Campbellsville ending Florida Memorial possessions while extending their own. The Lions wouldn't let the lead get much bigger than it was after quarter one as they only scored two less than the Lady Tigers in period headed into the half. At 43-24, Campbellsville more than doubled the total assists of Florida Memorial (14-6) while also having twice as many steals (10-5). Three Lady Tigers were in double-digit scoring: Boyle had 14 on a perfect 6-6 shooting and Bertram was at ten along with
Kaitlynn Wilks, who had a team-high five rebounds.
The remainder of the game saw the Lady Tigers sustain what had worked for them in the opening half. They continued to get quality looks from unselfish offensive play, efficient shooting, and persistent defensive pressure. In the third period, Boyle finally missed a shot after beginning 8-8. Even if the massively important first quarter was negated, Campbellsville still outpaced Florida Memorial by six points. The points-off-turnovers difference was key to the Lady Tigers' victory (33 to 12) along with the rebound (40 to 27) and assist (26 to 11) advantages.
Boyle ended with 19 points, Wilks poured in 15, Bertram had 12, and
Bailey Pedigo posted 11.
Courtney Pritchett orchestrated the offense with eight assists while Pedigo also tied with
Lauren Lee for second-most (five). Wilks and
Kayla Luebbe off the bench shared six rebounds each.
The St. Thomas University Holiday Invitational continues Friday when the Lady Tigers take on the host institution. That game is set to tip at 2 p.m. ET.
