CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky.- The #3 Lady Tigers hosted the #7 University of the Cumberlands Patriots on Thursday night. With nearly double the steals as Cumberlands, Campbellsville secured the overtime victory, 94-90.
The Patriots opened the first quarter with an early lead in the game. The Lady Tigers quickly caught up, stealing the advantage with Talynne Shearer and Tyra Flowers' buckets in the paint. With less than one minute left on the clock, the Patriots stole the lead, closing the first ten minutes of play with the advantage. Campbellsville trailed at the end of the first quarter, 26-22.
Both teams sought the upper hand from the charity stripe, collecting a few points to fuel the back-and-forth energy on the court. Cumberlands' short-range shots swiftly became their strongest advantage, increasing the Lady Tigers' deficit on the scoreboard. Hallie Allen's layups brought Campbellsville closer to reclaiming the lead. However, the Patriots widened the gap to an 11-point advantage over the Lady Tigers with multiple three-pointers. Lauren Lee and Maddie Nalley retaliated with back-to-back layups in the closing seconds of the second quarter. At the half, Campbellsville still trailed Cumberlands, 53-44.
Lee opened the second half with an avid jumper. In the next few minutes, the game came to a scoring halt. Neither team scored until halfway through the third quarter, exchanging layups in pursuit of control over the ball. Both teams' defensive efforts quickly escalated as the quarter unfolded, struggling to connect. However, Shearer and Nalley's layups brought the Lady Tigers closer to the advantage, capitalizing off the Patriots' turnovers. Going into the final quarter, Campbellsville stood three points away from the lead, 65-62.
The pressure on the court was palpable as the final quarter began, with both teams aiming to build momentum to win the game. Lauren Lee stole the lead from the free-throw line. Allen followed, widening Campbellsville's lead to two points over Cumberlands with another layup. The Lady Tigers and the Patriots went back-and-forth, tying the score as the last five minutes of the game approached. Campbellsville got ahead by a few points, taking advantage of Cumberlands' foul-heavy play and scoring perfectly from the charity stripe. The fourth quarter closed with an 82-82 tie, sending the game into overtime.
The Patriots began the overtime with a layup, earning an early lead in the first couple of seconds. Flowers and Allen stood at the free-throw line, regaining the lead for the Lady Tigers and leaving Cumberlands trailing. Whitney Hay scored a jumper that widened Campbellsville's advantage with only a couple of minutes left. Although the Patriots attempted to strike back from beyond the arc, a missed shot preserved the Lady Tigers' lead.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action, traveling to Columbia, Kentucky, to battle the Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders on Saturday, January 11th, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
- Six Lady Tigers reached double digits throughout tonight's game: Lee with 30 points, Shearer with 15, Flowers with 13, Nalley with 12, Hay with 11, and Allen with 10.
- Campbellsville surpassed Cumberlands in a few statistical aspects of the game: free-throw percentage (87.9%-63.6%), bench points (40-32), blocks (5-3), steals (14-8), and points off turnovers (33-22).
- Last season, the Lady Tigers bested the Patriots throughout the regular season and the Mid-South Conference Tournament. Campbellsville's only loss against Cumberlands last year took place during the NAIA Championship Quarterfinals.
- Tonight's match-up is the first meeting between the two teams since the Lady Tigers' NAIA Championship Quarterfinal loss.
