CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – On Saturday afternoon, the Tiger basketball team hosted the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers for the second day of the Campbellsville University Classic. Leading on the scoreboard nearly 75% of the game, the Tigers separated in the second half and took the victory over the Grenadiers, 78-66.
The first half started with IU Southeast on the scoreboard. Both teams traded buckets back-and-forth, tying the score, and fighting for control over the lead.
Jay Milburn and
Jace Wallace stood at the charity stripe, collecting a few points for Campbellsville. A couple three-pointers by
Kam Vick and
Darius Harding propelled the Tigers forward, earning them the lead over the Grenadiers. IU Southeast retaliated with a few baskets, taking the lead from Campbellsville with less than five minutes left in the half. However,
Cobe Penny and
Javaughn Smith led the rally against the Grenadiers' offensive strikes, reclaiming the lead for the Tigers and closing the first half, 33-31 in Campbellsville's favor.
At the half, Campbellsville's time leading the game was significantly longer than IU Southeast, with the Tigers on the winning end of the scoreboard for 61.3% of the game, compared to the Grenadiers 18.3% (the rest of the time was spent tied up). Campbellsville also collected considerably more assists than IU Southeast, with eight to their three. One of the most substantial distinctions between the two was the amount of bench points collected by each team, with the Tigers earning 18 compared to the Grenadiers three.
Campbellsville secured the first points of the second half with a three-pointer by Smith. IU Southeast collected six straight points, coming closer to the Tigers' lead. Even though Campbellsville widened their lead with a couple of layups and chances at the free-throw line, the Grenadiers caught up, landing repeated three-pointers, pushing them to steal the lead from the Tigers. Campbellsville's arduous offensive efforts recovered its spot on the winning end of the scoreboard, however. Harding collected his first steal of the game, agilely passing the ball to
Chandler Clements, landing a layup assisted by Penny. As the second half continued to unfold, the Tigers grew their lead to a 15-point advantage over the Grenadiers on crisp passing and clean looks. Campbellsville took the win, 78-66.
At the end of the game, the Tigers surpassed the Grenadiers significantly in multiple aspects of the game: shooting 40% from the three-point line to their 28.6%, collecting 52 on-court points to their 18, 31 bench points to their nine, 19 assists to their 11, and leading the game for 29:15 compared to their 6:40. Clements led the team with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Milburn with eight rebounds and five assists.
The Tigers will be back in action, Tuesday, November 7th, hosting the Calumet College of St. Joseph Crimson Wave beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
