HENDERSON, Tenn. – Tiger basketball closed out its road trip against the NAIA's top-ranked team, the Freed-Hardeman University Lions, at the Brewer Sports Center on Saturday afternoon. Despite a valiant second-half surge and a 29-point masterclass from
Dalton Kramer, Campbellsville's comeback fell just short as they dropped the Mid-South Conference contest, 75-64.
- Dalton Kramer led all scorers with an incredibly efficient 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 18 points in the second half and a blistering 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
- Jay Milburn anchored the paint and filled the stat sheet, pulling down a team-high eight rebounds and swatting three blocked shots to go along with six points.
- Parker Jones and Taveon Smith provided steady contributions for the Campbellsville offense, each pouring in eight points.
- After a slow start, the Tigers found their rhythm in the second half, shooting an impressive 52.4 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range during the final 20 minutes.
- Campbellsville limited the high-powered Lions to just 31.8 percent shooting in the second half, though Freed-Hardeman's 23 points off turnovers ultimately proved to be the difference maker.
- The Tigers will return home to the Powell Athletic Center on Thursday for Senior Night against the University of the Cumberlands.
Campbellsville controlled the opening tip, but it was Freed-Hardeman jumping out early. The Lions drained three triples in the first three minutes to mount a 13-0 run, propelling them forward with all the early momentum.
After a sluggish start plagued by a few turnovers,
Jay Milburn broke the ice for the Tigers, finishing through contact for a layup at the 15:49 mark. The teams began to battle back and forth as
Taveon Smith and
Dalton Kramer clawed back into the deficit. The Tigers and Lions traded free throws, and after an
Eli Brooks foul shot, the lead was cut to 10 points, 20-10.
However, Freed-Hardeman stretched out the lead once more with an 11-1 swing, eventually answered by Kramer's second long ball of the half. Kramer continued to back the Tigers' attack with two more buckets, but Campbellsville trailed 46-28 at the break. CU shot just 34.6 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from deep in the opening frame, while the Lions shot over 50 percent across the board and capitalized on Tiger turnovers to fuel their runs.
Freed-Hardeman opened the second half with a layup and a free throw, but the momentum was about to drastically shift.
Parker Jones sparked a massive Campbellsville run with two free throws followed immediately by a forceful rack attack for a dunk. Kramer followed with a pair of free throws of his own and another triple. Campbellsville matched the Lions' physicality and brought a surge of defensive intensity, tipping passes and swatting shots.
Moments later, a Jones layup and a
Marcellus Vail jumper saw the lead cut to single digits, 49-41. Two more from Kramer at the stripe forced Freed-Hardeman to call a timeout, capping an impressive 13-0 Campbellsville run over a five-minute stretch.
Jones and Kramer continued to trade blows with the top-ranked Lions, and Milburn pitched in with a timely three-point basket. With 10:42 remaining in the action, Kramer drained his fifth three-point field goal, cutting the massive deficit down to just three points, 55-52.
Following a timeout, the Lions clamped down defensively, forcing CU into three straight turnovers and extending their lead back to nine points. Kramer continued to orchestrate the offense, hitting a tough jumper and later swishing home his sixth triple of the night with the shot clock winding down.
Vail cut the lead to 66-62 with 4:04 left to play, but Campbellsville's momentum was smothered after costly late turnovers allowed Freed-Hardeman to push the advantage back out to 10 points. Both clubs traded baskets and free throws until the final horn sounded, with the Tigers' resilient comeback falling just short, 75-64.
Despite the loss, CU finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the field and scored 20 points in the paint against the nation's number one team.
