BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The fifth-seeded Campbellsville University Tigers faced the top-seeded Freed-Hardeman University Lions on Sunday afternoon at the Bowling Green Arena in the Mid-South Conference Tournament Semifinals. Regardless of the fight from the Campbellsville Tigers, the top-ranked Lions of Freed-Hardeman took the victory, 79-49.
- Senior Javaughn Smith provided a spark off the bench, hitting three crucial buckets from beyond the arc in an effort to get the Tigers going.
- Dalton Kramer led the team on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds—including nine on the defensive end—while tallying seven points behind a 7-of-9 effort from the charity stripe.
- Campbellsville's reserves made an impact as game-changers off the bench, accumulating a combined 24 points in the contest.
- The Lions' stifling defense held the Tigers to 30.8% shooting from the field, while Freed-Hardeman converted at a 46.0% clip.
- The defeat concludes Campbellsville's postseason run, as the fifth-seeded Tigers end their impressive Mid-South Conference Tournament showing in the Semifinals.
At the start of the game, both teams came out with intense energy. The Tigers obtained the first offensive possession with a successful tip-off by
Jay Milburn. However, the Lions' smothering defense was too much for the Tigers to convert points early on. Campbellsville did not get on the board until the third minute, when Milburn connected on a free-throw bucket to end a 6-0 run by the opposing Lions. Even with Campbellsville getting on the board, the Lions' surge was not over, as continuous efforts held the Tigers scoreless through an extended 10-point run for Freed-Hardeman.
New life came into the Campbellsville offense when
TyShay Epps handled the ball, distributing a seamless assist to
Ra Briggs to put up the Tigers' first basket from beyond the arc. The new energy continued with senior
Javaughn Smith, who found success with back-to-back threes in the sixth minute to ignite the offense. The threatening hot hand did not deter the Lions, who continued to progress and extend their lead. With pressure mounting, the last offensive possession in the half ended with another three-pointer from the hot hand of Smith. When the buzzer sounded for the end of the first half, the Tigers went into the locker room trailing 46-21.
With play resuming at the start of the second half, defensive efforts were on full display from both teams as they struggled to create steady offensive possessions in the opening minutes. Despite the Tigers' aggressive efforts, Freed-Hardeman continued to create a hostile environment, forcing Campbellsville into turnovers. In pursuit of halting the Lions' momentum, Epps hit two consecutive three-point baskets to help exhaust the Lions' offensive pressure.
In the final minutes, the Tigers were unable to create enough momentum to overcome the Freed-Hardeman Lions. The last urgent buckets in the paint by
Taveon Smith and Milburn could not spark a late surge. As the final seconds counted down, the Tigers fell to the No. 1 Lions in the Semifinals, 79-49, ending their impressive run in the Mid-South Conference Tournament.
