COLUMBIA, Ky. - The Tigers took the road to fight against the Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders on Saturday. Despite Campbellsville's offensive boost in the closing minutes of the second half, Lindsey Wilson took the second Battle of Highway 55 of the season, 102-94.
The Tigers opened the first half with a compelling seven-point run, propelling them upward on the scoreboard, ahead of the Blue Raiders from the first minutes of the game. Lindsey Wilson retaliated with a couple of buckets, but not quite enough to claim to seize control of the game. Cobe Penny, Jace Wallace, and Darius Harding's accuracy from beyond the arc surged Campbellsville to a 10-point advantage on the scoreboard. However, halfway through the first half, the Tigers lost grasp of the advantage as the Blue Raiders tied the score from the free-throw line. In an unforeseen turn of events, Lindsey Wilson swiftly stole the lead, leaving the Tigers trailing as the first 20 minutes of play came to a close, 49-44.
The second half began with arduous back-and-forth from both teams, exchanging layup after layups down the court. However, the Blue Raiders consistently scored from long range, keeping Campbellsville from reaching the winning end of the scoreboard. The Tigers capitalized on their shots at the charity stripe, slowly decreasing their deficit in the contest. With less than three minutes left on the clock, Penny collected his second steal of the contest, resulting in a layup, bringing Campbellsville closer to Lindsey Wilson's lead. Despite the half's time expiring, the Tigers did not falter at the threat. Wallace struck Lindsey Wilson with a three-point jumper, but the Blue Raiders landed back-to-back buckets, reaching triple digits on the scoreboard. Campbellsville followed with only a few points behind with only 25 seconds of play left in the match-up. However, Lindsey Wilson came back from a timeout, going two-for-two at the free-throw line, defeating the Tigers, 102-94.
Campbellsville's free-throw percentage remained one of their most significant strengths throughout today's match-up, going 20-of-25 (80%) compared to the Blue Raiders' 20-of-31 (64.5%). Four Tigers reached double digits throughout tonight's game: Wallace with 24 points, Penny with 21, Harding with 19, and Clements with 14.
The Tigers will be back in action, traveling to McKenzie, Tennessee, to battle the Bethel University Wildcats on Thursday, February 15th, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.
