WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – The Campbellsville University men's basketball team traveled to Williamsburg on Monday night to battle the sixth-ranked University of the Cumberlands Patriots. Hampered by a slow start and a dominant interior performance by the hosts, the Tigers fell to the Patriots, 84-61.
- TyShay Epps led the Tigers' offense with 17 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and connecting on three triples.
- Ra Briggs followed closely with 15 points and led Campbellsville on the glass with a team-high eight rebounds.
- The Patriots controlled the paint, outscoring Campbellsville by more than double in the interior to secure the victory.
- Taveon Smith was active defensively, swiping two steals to lead the Tigers' defensive effort.
- The Tigers will be back in action hosting the Georgetown College Tigers on Thursday, February 5th, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The contest began with a difficult stretch for Campbellsville, as the Patriots opened on an 11-0 run fueled by Kyle Duke, Javecckio Thomas, and Brant Smithers.
Ra Briggs finally broke the seal for the Tigers, draining a three-point bucket assisted by
TyShay Epps.
Campbellsville looked to cut into the deficit from beyond the arc, with
Javaughn Smith and
Parker Jones following Briggs with three-pointers of their own. However, Cumberlands utilized their size advantage to answer with several dunks, pushing their advantage back to double digits.
In the latter ten minutes of the first half, the Tigers increased their defensive intensity, forcing turnovers and disrupting the Patriots' rhythm.
Eli Brooks provided a spark off the bench, scoring five straight points to try and ignite a rally, but Campbellsville still trailed heading into the halftime break.
Much like the first half, the Patriots' Kyle Duke remained a catalyst on the court, scoring within seconds of the start of the second period. The game devolved into an exchange of perimeter shots, with the Tigers struggling to string together enough stops to outmaneuver the ranked Patriots.
For every bucket scored by Campbellsville, Cumberlands found an answer, counteracting the Tigers' efforts to claw their way back into the game. Jones and Epps continued to fight, scoring in the paint and from deep in the final minutes, but the early deficit proved too large to overcome as the Tigers fell, 84-61.
