CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The #3 Campbellsville University Lady Tigers hosted the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons on Friday night for the opening day of the Campbellsville University Thanksgiving Classic. The Lady Tigers' bench battled aggressively, sparking a dominant performance that led to a decisive 102-41 victory as Campbellsville improved to a perfect 11-0 on the season.
- Five Campbellsville players reached double figures: Whitney Hay and Lainey Johnson led the way with 13 points each, followed by Abby Gilbert (12), Katy Smiley (11), and Paige Serafini (10).
- Gilbert was a force on the glass and defensively, leading the Lady Tigers with a game-high 12 rebounds (six offensive) and three steals. Hay also collected three steals, while Ella House dished out a game-high five assists.
- Campbellsville overwhelmed the Dragons in field goal percentage (53.4% to 28.0%), rebounds (43-25), assists (31-3), bench points (63-16), steals (17-6), points off turnovers (34-8), and points in the paint (62-24).
- The Lady Tigers will be back in action, hosting the University of Pikeville Bears tomorrow, Saturday, November 29th, beginning at 3 p.m. ET for the second day of the Campbellsville University Thanksgiving Classic.
Both teams traded baskets in the opening moments, but the Lady Tigers quickly seized control. Three-pointers from
Paige Serafini and
Dea Bradley ignited the offense, pushing Campbellsville to the 20-point mark before the Dragons had reached five.
Abby Gilbert came off the bench with tremendous energy on the glass, converting offensive rebounds into quick points in the paint.
Lainey Johnson and
Ella House followed suit with layups of their own, propelling Campbellsville past 30 points while holding VUL to single digits. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Tigers held a commanding 34-9 lead.
The second quarter began with a defensive struggle, as neither team could find the bottom of the net for the first two minutes.
Whitney Hay finally broke the drought with a layup off
Talynne Shearer's first assist of the night. While the Dragons managed to reach double digits at the 5:11 mark, Campbellsville responded to maintain a comfortable margin.
Kinsley Molden checked in and drained a swift three-pointer to push the Lady Tigers past the 50-point mark, while the Dragons remained under 20.
Saylor Hutcheson made an immediate impact off the bench, finding
Katy Smiley for a bucket in the paint. At the half, Campbellsville had extended their advantage to 35 points, 55-20.
The Lady Tigers wasted no time in the second half, with
Hallie Allen and
Tyra Flowers scoring back-to-back layups within the first 30 seconds. The defense continued to be suffocating, forcing turnover after turnover and collecting steals to fuel the transition game. VUL's foul trouble compounded their issues, sending Hay and Flowers to the charity stripe repeatedly.
Bella Stiles provided a spark off the bench with aggressive rebounding and a nice assist to Gilbert in the paint. Heading into the final quarter, Campbellsville held a massive 60-point lead, 86-26.
Smiley opened the fourth quarter with a layup to reach double figures, assisted by House. While the Dragons found some success at the free-throw line, they could not slow down the Lady Tigers' momentum. Campbellsville's dominance in the paint remained the story of the night. Hutcheson connected from beyond the arc for her first basket as the final minute approached. A layup and free throw from Gilbert pushed the Lady Tigers past the century mark, capping off a dominant 102-41 victory to close the first day of the classic.
