East Pennyroyal News

The Tigers' defensive battle ends in a loss to the Bears

The Tigers came into this matchup with a 6-8 record and struggling in conference play at 1-7. Campbellsville was trying to stop their five-game skid, but less-than-stellar offensive production led to a 17-point loss. 

The Tigers jumped to a quick lead. Jarius Key got on the board early for Campbellsville with a three and a lay-up. Shawnee State evened the score out at 9's with 11 minutes to go in the half. With eight minutes remaining, the Bears began to break away a bit. Both teams struggled from the floor, but Campbellsville couldn't end possessions with defensive rebounds. The half continued with Shawnee State staying in the driver's seat to the tune of 21-15 with two minutes left to go in the half. The horn sounded with the Tigers down 24-19. Shawnee State took the five-point lead into the locker room, with Keaston Brown leading the Tigers with seven points. 

Campbellsville went a dismal 6 of 23 from the field and 2 of 16 from behind the arc. Defensively, the Tigers were working to limit the impact of their offensive shortcomings. They held the Bears to just 30% shooting on the half (10-30) and were also able to create five steals. 

The second half started with the Tigers taking advantage of the Bears' defense, cutting the lead back to three. Shawnee State went on a run halfway through the second half that helped extend their advantage back to nine. Both teams struggled from the field and could not get their offense into any rhythm. Shawnee State continued their patchwork run, moving it up to 10-0 as they started to get hot, bringing the score to 44-29. The Bears continued their increasingly efficient performance keeping their double-digit lead intact over Campbellsville the remainder of the way. The Tigers could not overcome the barrage of scoring from Shawnee State as Campbellsville dropped their sixth straight loss. 

Brown ended with 11 points and was the only Tiger in double figures. It was a tough day shooting for the Tigers, going 34% from the field, 16% from beyond the arc, and 47.6% from the free-throw line. Defensively, the Tigers were solid, causing 16 turnovers and holding the bears to 24 of 57 from the field. 

Campbellsville will look to break their losing streak after the Christmas Break on January 5th, when they will take on the Thomas More Saints at Crestview Hills in Northern Kentucky. Tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Original source can be found here.