WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – The #3 Lady Tigers took the road to battle the #15 University of the Cumberlands Patriots on Thursday night for their first match-up in conference play. The Lady Tigers' diverse bench rotation brought Campbellsville to victory, 88-70. Over the last 13 match-ups with the Patriots, the Lady Tigers have won all of them.
Both teams exchanged three-pointers in the game's opening minutes, tying the score early in the contest. Bailey Pedigo struck the Patriots with a three-pointer, her second game back on the court and first game back as a starting Lady Tiger since November after enduring an injury against the Southeastern University Fire. The Cumberlands agilely retaliated, but Campbellsville's rebounds kept the ball returning to the Lady Tigers with avid scoring plays. Campbellsville led the game at the end of the first quarter, 22-16.
Multiple Lady Tigers landed bucket after bucket, but the Patriots retaliated with baskets shortly after Campbellsville's scoring plays. Kaitlynn Wilks' first steal of the game resulted in Courtney Pritchett's second three-point bucket of the contest. Whitney Hay's first assist of the game brought Kayla Luebbe to double digits with another Lady Tiger layup. Campbellsville closed the second quarter with a nine-point run, expanding their lead to 45-32 in the second half.
At the half, the Lady Tigers strongly relied on their three-pointers to stay ahead of the Patriots, going 54.5% from three to their 30.8%. Additionally, Campbellsville's rebounds and points in the paint proved too much for the Cumberlands to catch up to, more than doubling them with 20 to their seven and 26 to their 10, respectively. The Lady Tigers kept a solid rotation throughout the first half, racking up 19 bench points compared to the Patriot's single one.
Much like the first half, the opening minutes of the second half consisted of an even exchange of baskets between the teams, going back and forth over control of the ball. Halfway through the third quarter, the scoring plays from both teams came to a halt, with both teams' rebounds preventing each other from landing any baskets in their favor. A couple of opportunities at the charity stripe provided Campbellsville with a few more points added to their end of the score. Going into the last quarter, the Lady Tigers held a 10-point advantage over the Cumberlands, 66-56.
Maddy Boyle reached double digits in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, landing back-to-back three-point jump shots aided by Pedigo and Pritchett. Much like the third quarter, both teams' rebounds prevented each other from landing successful baskets. Campbellsville's arduous offense expanded their lead to a 20-point advantage over the Patriots with only three minutes left in the game. The Cumberlands stood at the free-throw line several times during the last couple of minutes of the game, decreasing their deficit on the score. At the end of the contest, the Lady Tigers defeated the Patriots 88-70.
At the end of the game, Campbellsville's diverse rotation surpassed the Cumberlands', racking up 26 bench points to their 11. Five Lady Tigers reached double digits in the development of the contest: Boyle and Pritchett with 16 points each, Luebbe with 15, Lauren Lee with 14, and Wilks with 12. Wilks' third-quarter basket made her the 40th member of the 1,000 point club in Lady Tiger history.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action, traveling to Lebanon, Tennessee, on Saturday, January 13th, to go against the Cumberland University Phoenix beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
