CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky.- The Tigers hosted the Bethel University Wildcats on Thursday night. After changing the lead eight times throughout the game, the Tigers won 87-80.
The first half kicked off tied, but two three-pointers from Darius Harding and Chandler Clements propelled the Tigers onto the lead. With only five minutes on the court, Campbellsville quickly doubled Bethel on the scoreboard. Tyrelle Hunt came off the bench with a jumper, adding to the Tigers' advantage over the Wildcats. Halfway through the first 20 minutes of play, Bethel caught up with Campbellsville from the free-throw line, tying the score at 22. The Tigers attempted to move forward on the lead, but the Wildcats' unyielding defensive rebounds took away their chances at the basket. Bethel stole the lead, but Harding and Cobe Penny swiftly threw a three-point jump shot each, slowly clawing the Tigers back up the lead. Both teams went back and forth, tying the score time after time, stealing and regaining the lead with every bucket. At the end of the first half, the Tigers trailed the Wildcats by one, 34-33.
Campbellsville's threes remained one of their most significant strengths throughout the first half, going 5-of-13 (38.5%) compared to Bethel's 0-of-7. The Wildcats varied the lineup throughout the first 20 minutes of play and kept their defense and offense resilient throughout the contest, demonstrated in their 18 bench points to our nine.
Bethel got ahead by a few points in the game's opening minutes, but Clements quickly struck back with a three-pointer aided by Penny's third assist. The Wildcats jumpers continued to propel them forward on the lead, but Jay Milburn racked up a few more points for Campbellsville, decreasing their deficit on the score. With a couple of opportunities from the free-throw line by Keaston Brown and Cameron Willis, the Tigers continued to catch up with the Wildcats. Halfway through the second half, both teams' offense toughened, resulting in more baskets from the field than the charity stripe. Harding and Brown brought Campbellsville back to the lead after tying the score repeatedly throughout the half. With two three-pointers by Clements and Willis and a layup from Milburn, the Tigers extended their advantage to an 11-point lead with only a couple of minutes left in the contest. At the end of the game, Campbellsville took the victory over Bethel, 87-80.
At the end of the game, Campbellsville's team play excelled over the Bethel's, collecting 17 assists over their 10. Additionally, four Tigers reached double digits during tonight's game: Clements with 22 points, Milburn and Harding with 14 each, and Willis with 10.
The Tigers will be back in action, hosting the Freed-Hardeman University Lions on Saturday, January 20th, starting at 3 p.m. ET.
