LEBANON, Tenn. – The Campbellsville University men's basketball team secured its first Mid-South Conference victory of the season on Thursday night, utilizing a stifling defensive effort, highlighted by eight blocked shots, to defeat Cumberland University, 72-56, at the Dallas Floyd Arena.
- Javaughn Smith and Marcellus Vail led the offensive attack, scoring 14 points apiece. Smith also dished out a game-high six assists.
- Parker Jones provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and two blocks, helping the Tigers dominate the interior.
- Eli Brooks controlled the glass, pulling down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with two steals.
- The Tigers' defense was formidable, recording eight blocked shots, with Ra Briggs, Dalton Kramer, and Jones tallying two apiece, and forcing 17 Cumberland turnovers.
- Campbellsville (15-5, 1-3 MSC) shared the ball effectively, recording 18 assists on 26 made field goals, while limiting the Phoenix to just nine assists.
- The Tigers won the battle at the free-throw line, shooting 78.6% (11-of-14) compared to Cumberland's 58.8% (10-of-17).
- Campbellsville will look to build a winning streak when they travel to Williamsburg, Ky., to face the University of the Cumberlands Patriots on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.
The Tigers set the tone early from beyond the arc.
Dalton Kramer and
TyShay Epps opened the scoring with back-to-back three-pointers, erasing an early Phoenix free throw.
Ra Briggs kept the momentum rolling with a dunk off an assist from Kramer, giving Campbellsville the early advantage.
Defensively, the Tigers were locked in from the opening tip, recording three blocks in the first few minutes to stifle the Cumberland attack. While Jordan Jenkins and Nick Brunetti managed to find the basket for the Phoenix to end a scoring drought,
Jay Milburn responded with a dunk to maintain a multi-possession lead for Campbellsville.
Midway through the first half, the Phoenix mounted a 5-0 run to trim the deficit, capitalizing on Tiger turnovers. However, Campbellsville regained control in the final minutes of the period.
Marcellus Vail drew a foul and converted free throws before hitting a jumper to push the lead back to double digits.
Javaughn Smith was instrumental on the defensive end, collecting steals and finding
Parker Jones for a bucket to send the Tigers into halftime with a nine-point cushion.
Smith emerged from the locker room on fire, sparking a 9-0 run single-handedly with back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to 39-22 within the first five minutes of the second half. Vail joined the perimeter barrage with a triple of his own, and
Eli Brooks added an emphatic dunk to widen the gap further.
Cumberland fought to stay in the game, attacking the offensive glass and getting to the free-throw line, but they could not crack the Tigers' defensive shell. Jones recorded two second-half blocks to deny any Phoenix comeback attempts. Briggs capped off the night with another three-pointer, sealing the 72-56 victory and the Tigers' first conference win of the 2025-26 campaign.
