JOLIET, Ill.. - The Tigers traveled to Illinois for the St. Francis University Classic to battle the Saints on Saturday. After losing the lead at the end of the first half, the Tigers struck back in the last minutes of play, surpassing the Saints, 66-65.
Campbellsville was first to gain possession of the ball at tip-off, and within the opening 15 seconds of the first half, Darius Harding successfully landed a three-point jumper for the Tigers. Neither team scored for nearly five minutes, racking up steals and defensive rebounds repeatedly, until Jay Milburn struck the Saints with the second Tiger-three of the game. Saint Francis made their first points on the scoreboard from the free-throw line. Noah Gordon and Jordan Graham came off the bench with buckets, bringing Campbellsville to a 10-point advantage over the Saints halfway through the contest's first half. Saint Francis retaliated with an eight-point run, decreasing their deficit to one under the Tigers. Both teams kept scoring back and forth until the Saints surpassed Campbellsville for the first time in the game, closing the first half with the Tigers trailing 31-30.
At the end of the first half, both teams remained relatively similar in most statistical categories; however, the Tigers collected a significantly more well-rotated lineup than the Saints; Campbellsville collected 12 bench points to Saint Francis's Francis's two.
Saint Francis opened the second half from the charity stripe, followed by a layup and widening their lead over Campbellsville. Cobe Penny and Graham retaliated with a couple of baskets for the Tigers, but the Saints did not allow them to come too close to their lead and expanded their advantage to nine points. With less than one minute left on the clock, Jace Wallace and Milburn's baskets brought Campbellsville one point away from Saint Francis. The Saints stood at the charity stripe, expanding their lead by another point. However, with only one second left on the clock, Chandler Clements landed a three-point jump shot, bringing the Tigers to victory, 66-65.
At the end of the game, the Tigers tripled the Saints with 15 offensive rebounds to their five and 28 bench points to their eight. Campbellsville also surpassed Saint Francis, collecting seven three-pointers throughout the contest compared to their three. Three Tigers reached double digits during today's game: Graham with 12, Penny with 11, and Wallace with 10.
The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday, December 31st, on their second day in Illinois, battling the East-West University Phantoms starting at 4 p.m. ET.
