CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The #5 Lady Tigers of Campbellsville University sought to make it six straight victories over a Mid-South Conference foe when they took on the Life University Running Eagles Tuesday night. Campbellsville did just that with a final score of 72-54.
 
The game did not get off to the start the Lady Tigers were aiming for. A Life 11-2 run kicked things off in the contest. Campbellsville had three turnovers in the opening minutes while shooting only 33% from the field and giving up seven rebounds compared to just three of their own. However, the threes began to rain as Maddy Boyle sunk a shot in transition and Sarah Sutton did the same in the subsequent possession. Still, the Lady Tigers' defense was allowing second chance points and couldn't emulate the offensive surge. By the end of the quarter, Life had a 67% shooting percentage and Campbellsville's had grown to nearly 50% and cut their deficit to just eight.
 
In the second quarter, the impetus was clear: box out and end possessions. Kaitlynn Wilks and her fellow post players began putting a body on the Running Eagles' crashing bigs. The Lady Tiger defense began to scratch at Life's considerable conversion percentage at the rim by forcing turnovers and getting out on the fast break. As a result, the rebound discrepancy between the two teams began to shrink and the point difference coincided. Campbellsville made it a priority to get to the basket. There were no free throws shot in the contest until Ashlee McGeorge was fed inside and she converted an and-one. The Lady Tigers' shooting percentage usurped Life's nearing the end of the quarter as their paint game flourished.
 
Campbellsville went into the half leading by 11: 44-33. There were nine individual Lady Tigers on the board with points. Free throws were minimal for the home team (5-5) and non-existent for Life (shooting none) in the first half. Campbellsville was playing sound defense without fouling recording only a single infraction the entire half. With 15 assists as a team compared to the Running Eagle's 8, McGeorge led the way in points with nine, Boyle had seven, and Sutton and Wilks both posted 6.
 
Play continued with physicality into the second half. Bodies from both sides were digging down to the glass as the opening possessions were marred by missed opportunities. Nonetheless, nerves began to settle, and Campbellsville logged the initial seven points of the quarter. It seemed the script flipped from the first ten minutes as turnovers and rebounding became an issue for the Running Eagles. Despite not connecting from the three-point line with any consistency in the third, the Lady Tiger lead grew to 21. Over the second and third periods, Campbellsville's tenacious defense and consistent offense outscored Life 47-17.
 
The fourth and final quarter was a curious one as Campbellsville became complacent launching threes every other trip down the floor. It was six minutes into the quarter before a beautiful Lauren Lee bounce pass found Wilks in the post for an easy lay-up. Despite allowing a 9-2 run for Life in the opening half of the period, Calbert would finally end the drought from deep and swish home a three-ball. Despite only scoring eight points in the fourth, The Lady Tigers finished off the Running Eagles to the tune of 72-54.
 
When all was said and done, the true differences in the game were turnovers, rebounds, and assists. Campbellsville held themselves under double-digit turnovers with eight and forcing the Running Eagles into 15. The Lady Tigers collected 32 rebounds compared to Life's 25 and found more open players posting 22 assists to the Running Eagles' 12. McGeorge ended with 15 points and four rebounds while Wilks had 12 and five respectively (shooting 6-7 from the field to boot). Courtney Pritchett led in two categories with seven of the team's rebounds and five assists. Lee had five dimes as well.
 
The Lady Tigers hit their home floor again on Thursday February 17^th for a pivotal game against Shawnee State. That contest will begin at 6 p.m. ET at Powell Athletic Center.