PORTSMOUTH, Ohio. – The Tigers faced the Bears of Shawnee State University Thursday afternoon. Campbellsville had trouble with turnovers and shooting from the field, leading to their loss, 79-69.
The game opened with a three-point basket from Shawnee State and a layup from
Malik Muhammad in Campbellsville's first possession. The Bears went on a 10-2 run and took an early eight-point separation.
Javaughn Smith came off the bench and made a three, bringing the Tigers within five points. Campbellsville missed back-to-back three-point attempts as SSU continued to see shots fall. The Tigers found themselves down 11 points. At the midway point of the half,
Chandler Clements made a jump shop that brought the Tigers back within single digits. With five minutes left until halftime, Shawnee State extended their lead to 15. The Tigers closed the half by outscoring the Bears 12-7 but still trailed by nine points.
The Tigers did not see the free throw line in the first half, but the Bears went 7-10 at the charity stripe. Campbellsville shot 37.5% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point line compared to Shawnee State's 44.8% from the field goal range and 36.4% from the arch. The Tigers also totaled seven turnovers over the four from the Bears. At the half, Campbellsville was led in scoring by
Keaston Brown with eight points and Smith with six.
Jace Wallace and Clements followed with four points each.
Starting the second half, Wallace made a layup for the Tiger's first possession. Campbellsville then went on an 8-2 run and shortened their deficit to just four points. Shawnee State continued to find themselves on the free throw line and made some big shots to gain a 12-point lead back. Closing in on the midway point of the second half,
Jay Milburn made a layup from his sixth offensive rebound, and Smith made another three-point basket to bring the Tigers back within single digits again. Brown, Muhammad, Smith, and Wallace all made crucial shots that got the Tigers within three points with a little less than seven minutes left in the game. The teams started trading baskets, but Campbellsville missed some shots and allowed SSU to extend to a nine-point lead. In the final minutes, Wallace made a layup and found himself at the line, earning both free throws after a steal for Smith. The visits to the charity stripe for the Tigers at the end weren't enough for the comeback, and Campbellsville fell to the Bears.
Campbellsville finished the game shooting 38.5% and 33.3% from the arch compared to Shawnee State's 41.9% from the field goal range and 38.5% from the three-point line. CU also totaled 12 turnovers to SSU's seven but outrebounded the Bears by one. The Tigers were led in scoring by Wallace with 17 points, Brown with 15, and Smith with 13 points. Muhammad totaled 14 rebounds, and
Jay Milburn had seven rebounds, six being offensive rebounds.
The Tigers will be back in action Saturday, February 9th in the Powell Athletic Center. They will face the University of Pikeville with tip-off at 3 p.m. ET.
