CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The Campbellsville University men's basketball team matched up against Wilberforce University on Saturday, January 7th. The Tigers walked away with the 101-78 win over the Bulldogs.
Campbellsville faced full-court, trap defense from the beginning of the game forward. At first, the Tigers struggled to overcome the face-guarding performed by the Bulldogs. Wilberforce put together a stream of seven points before Keaston Brown retaliated with a three-point basket. Malachi De Sousa went to the basket consecutively to add a couple of layups to the Tigers' score. Jarius Key increased the intensity as he knocked down an under-the-basket layup. Key's teammates, De Sousa and Jay Milburn, went for back-to-back layups to sit the Tigers at a one-point discrepancy. As the teams battled, the Bulldog's defense pushed Campbellsville into nine turnovers, which they turned into 13 points. Wilberforce faced a one-possession shortfall as the Bulldogs punched in another three-pointer. At that point, Wilberforce had made 42.6% of their three-point baskets as Campbellsville trailed by only making 28.6% of their attempts in the area. Zach Travis increased this percentage as his bucket rained true from deep. The Bulldogs displayed a great desire to push the ball, so Campbellsville also decided to apply pressure in the backcourt. The Tigers ended the half leading Wilberforce 46-41.
Campbellsville had outrebounded the Bulldogs 27 to 16, causing them to gain and maintain possession. The Tigers obtained a large sum of their points from the paint (34 points), while Wilberforce acquired 12 points in the area. De Sousa and Milburn both amassed ten points and three rebounds apiece.
Malik Muhammad earned the Tigers their first double-digit lead with his free throw. Muhammad maintained the lead as he jammed the rim with a dunk. Wilberforce did not slow up as they continued a full-court press against the Tigers. Campbellsville moved the ball around to create space for shots. Milburn tied his career-high with a layup assisted by Jordan Graham, earning Milburn a chance at the charity stripe. Milburn exceeded his high as he knocked down the free throw that followed. Campbellsville extended their lead with a ten-point run. Chandler Clements provided six of those points with three layups. The Bulldogs broke the Tigers' run with a layup of their own. However, Campbellsville continued to demonstrate high intensity as they pursued the basket. With 30 seconds remaining, Cameron Willis's layup set the Tigers to win 101-78.
By the end of the competition, Campbellsville totaled 59 rebounds compared to Wilberforce's 26 rebounds. The Tigers also amassed 30 assists, while the Bulldogs collected nine. Milburn finished with a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds. De Sousa finished with 16 points, and Clements collected 13 points. Clements also tallied seven rebounds, and Wallace (ten points) amassed eight rebounds.
The Tigers will hit the road to Bethel University this Thursday, January 12th, for a Mid-South competition with the Wildcats. The contest begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
