MCKENZIE, Tenn.- The Tigers traveled down to Tennessee to battle the Bethel University Wildcats on Thursday night. Despite the Tigers' resilient efforts to seek the victory, they fell to the Wildcats, 81-76.
The first half opened with Bethel in the lead; however, Darius Harding was quick, landing a three-pointer to steal the upper hand for Campbellsville. Despite the Tigers' efforts, the Wildcats' defense proved superior in the early stages of the half, deterring their attempts to regain control. Halfway through the first half, both teams went back and forth, stealing the lead and tying the score time and time again. Bethel's efficient offensive strikes against Campbellsville allowed them to widen the gap on the scoreboard. The Tigers continued to struggle, decreasing their deficit in the game. Both teams battled fiercely up and down the court, showcasing their sportsmanship and competitive spirit in the closing moments of the first 20 minutes of play. Going into the second half, Campbellsville trailed Bethel 37-32.
The Tigers made the first basket of the second half. The Wildcats retaliated with back-to-back threes, continuing to claw up on the lead, much to Campbellsville's demise. Chandler Clements and Cobe Penny landed avid jumpers for the Tigers, decreasing the Wildcats' advantage and coming within a couple of points from the lead. Harding collected his second steal of the night, resulting in another layup for Campbellsville by Jace Wallace. The contest quickly turned into an adrenaline and action-packing battle for dominance over the game. As the Tigers came closer to stealing the lead, the Wildcats amplified the gap on the scoreboard from the charity stripe. However, Penny remained resilient in Campbellsville's pursuit of the lead, racking up basket after basket to catch up with the upper hand. Despite the Tigers' efforts to steal the victory, the Wildcats defeated them in the last few seconds of the game, 81-76.
Bethel surpassed Campbellsville in a handful of statistical categories. However, both teams played fairly similarly in multiple ways as well, with an identical 64.7% from the charity stripe and nearly identical both from the field and beyond the arch (with the Tigers' 51.7% and 42.9% to the Wildcats' 57.9% and 50.0% respectively). Four Tigers reached double digits throughout tonight's game: Penny with 25 points, Harding with 17, Tyrelle Hunt with 14, and Wallace with 11.
The Tigers will be back in action, continuing their weekend in Tennessee, traveling to Henderson to battle the Freed-Hardeman University Lions on Saturday, February 17th, beginning at 4 p.m. ET.
