BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The tenth-seeded Tigers played in the Mid-South Conference Tournament quarter-final game Saturday night. Campbellsville couldn't stop second-seeded Freed-Hardeman's onffensive onslaught and lost, 86-68.
Campbellsville and Freed-Hardeman met twice this season, both occasions in which the Tigers fell to the Lions. In their first match-up, Campbellsville came within four points of Freed-Hardeman. The Tigers went 20-of-54 from the field (37%) and 2-of-15 from the three-point line (13.3%), while the Lions went 24-of-57 from the field (42.1%) and 2-of-15 from the three-point line (13.3%). In their second game, Campbellsville saw a 22-point deficit below Freed-Hardeman. The Tigers went 18-of-52 from the field (34.6%) and 7-of-25 from the three-point line (28%), while the Lions went 28-of-56 from the field (50%) and 8-of-20 from the three-point line (40%).
Freed-Hardeman made the game's first basket, followed, only seconds after, by a basket from Malik Muhammad, tying the scoreboard. Keaston Brown scored a three-point jump shot assisted by Chandler Clements, breaking the tie with the Tigers in the lead. Muhammad stood at the free-throw line going two for two. After a few baskets from the Lions, Javaughn Smith saw his first points by making a jump shot. With only a few minutes left on the clock, the Lions took the lead, and the Tigers saw a nine-point deficit. In response, Clements scored his first two points with a layup and Smith converted both opportunites at the free throw line. Less than a minute later, Smith sank a three-point jumper. That offensive spurt simply wasn't enough to keep up with Freed-Hardeman's efficient shooting. At the end of the first half, the Tigers trailed the Lions 48-36.
Going into the second half, Smith led the team with nine points, and Muhammad right behind him with eight. Campbellsville shot 41.4% from the field and went 10-12 at the free-throw line. Freed-Hardeman shot 57.1% from the field and went 3-3 at the free-throw line.
The Lions made the first basket of the second half. Wallace scored the first basket for the Tigers, and a few minutes later, he stood at the free-throw line going two for two. Despite these offensive successes, it was a struggle defensively. Only five minutes into the second half, the Tigers were down 20 points. With less than three minutes left on the clock, Clements landed another layup and a jump shot, earning the Tigers four much-needed points, but it was too few too late. Despite the Tigers' effort, the Lions' offense was far too strong. Campbellsville ended in an 18-point deficit, falling to the Lions 86-68.
By the end of the game, the Tigers finished with 24-of-63 from the field (38.1%) and 5-of-22 from the three-point line (22.7%), while the Lions finished with 32-of-56 from the field (57.1%) and 9-of-21 from the three-point line (42.9%). Campbellsville had four players in double-digit points, with Smith with 16 points, Wallace with 12 points, Muhammad with ten points, and Clements with ten points.
