CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky.– The Campbellsville University men's basketball team hosted (RV) University of the Cumberlands Thursday evening. The Tigers led for most of the game, but fell behind in crunch time. Still, they had a three-point chance to win it at the buzzer but it was no good.
Campbellsville drew an under-the-basket foul early on to appear at the free-throw line first. Malik Muhammad knocked down the first two baskets to gain the Tigers the initial lead. Malachi De Sousa rattled off seven points for Campbellsville with two layups and a three-point bucket. Campbellsville played competent defense in the paint, taking the appropriate charges when necessary and creating difficulty for the Patriots to score. Clements added to the Tiger's lead as an eight-point run put Campbellsville ahead by double digits. The Patriots responded though and managed to reign in their deficit to six points. Jay Milburn, typically placed in the post, floated out to the corner and sank a three. Jace Wallace helped his team hold their lead driving to the rim and hitting jumpers himself. The Tigers entered the half with a 41-37 lead over the Patriots.
At the half, both teams remained fairly statistically even. Clements led the Tigers with ten points, De Sousa followed with nine, and Wallace trailed with seven.
Like the first 20 minutes, Muhammad started the second half with two shots from the charity stripe. Cumberlands retaliated with consecutive buckets from the arc. Then, the Patriots tied up the score for the first time since the score read four across. Campbellsville regained the lead with a jump shot from Wallace. However, this lead did not last long as both teams traded the lead. After the Patriots edged ahead for a few minutes, Keaston Brown fired to the basket to even the score at 58. The Cumberlands put together a couple of buckets to place Campbellsville at a deficit again. The Tigers worked against a tight defense and a swift-moving offense. As three minutes remained in play, Jarius Key collected a defensive rebound, giving the Tigers possession. Jordan Graham sank a layup to bring things to just a two-possession lead. As a minute remained, Wallace stepped up to the stripe. Wallace converted both free-throw shots and left the Tigers trailing by two. In the final second of play, Graham pump-faked for a three-pointer in the corner but missed and the buzzer sounded in Cumberlands' favor, 72-70.
The Tigers suffered 15 turnovers which the Patriots capitalized on for 21 points. The Cumberlands outscored Campbellsville in the second half 35-29, which aided in their win over the Tigers. De Sousa led the team tonight with 15 points and four rebounds. Wallace followed closely with 13 points and five rebounds, while Clements composed ten points.
The Tigers will head to Georgetown College to compete against the #9 Georgetown Tigers. Campbellsville will be on the road Saturday, December 10th, and tip-off begins at 3p.m. ET.
