East Pennyroyal News

Lady Tigers pull away from Mighty Oaks in second half to advance to NAIA Tournament Second Round

The #1 seed Campbellsville University Lady Tigers faced the #16 seed Oakland City University Mighty Oaks in the First Round of the NAIA Championship Tournament Wednesday night. Both teams brought competitive play to the court, with Campbellsville coming out victorious, moving into round two, 86-67. 

The Oakland City University's Mighty Oaks are part of the River States Conference. They have gone 20-8 this season (14-4 in conference) with averages of 44.7% from the field, 34.8% from three, and 71.9% at the free-throw line. Tuesday's Opening Round will be their first-ever time competing in the NAIA Championship.   

At the beginning of the game, Oakland City made the first layup of the game, putting themselves ahead. Kaitlynn Wilks quickly followed with a layup of her own, tying the score. Maddy Boyle and Sarah Sutton each made three-point jumpers, both assisted by Bailey Pedigo, boosting Campbellsville's score. Both teams stayed within one point from each other for most of the first quarter until Elizabeth Bertram landed a three-point shot followed by a layup that brought the Lady Tigers four points ahead of the Mighty Oaks. With less than five minutes on the clock, Sutton made two more three-pointers. The Lady Tigers closed the first quarter ahead of Oakland City, 29-22.

Pedigo stood at the charity stripe in the second period's opening seconds, going two for two. Wilks followed with a layup that widened the Lady Tigers' score. Both teams' defenses kept a firm hold on the court, with neither team scoring for over two minutes. Pedigo came back to the free-throw line, making both again. At the end of the first half, the Lady Tigers held the lead, 41-35.    

Going into the last twenty, Wilks led the Lady Tigers with 14 points. Campbellsville shot 45.7% from the field and went 5-6 at the free-throw line. Oakland City shot 41.2% from the field and went a perfect 4-4 at the free-throw line. 

The Mighty Oaks scored the first basket of the third quarter. Boyle and Courtney Pritchett propelled the Lady Tigers forward. Halfway through the third quarter, Campbellsville continued to widen their lead with a layup from Wilks. Pedigo landed a bucket with less than thirty seconds on the clock, closing the third quarter with Campbellsville still in the lead, 60-54. 

Boyle made the first bucket of the fourth quarter. Oakland City got closer in the scoreboard until Wilks landed a layup that kept the Lady Tigers in the lead. Campbellsville continued to bust open their lead with back-to-back three-point jump shots from Sutton and Pritchett, earning their largest lead of 12 points. The Lady Tigers' strong defense impeded the Mighty Oaks from coming any closer on the scoreboard. Pedigo landed a three-point bucket continuing to launch the Lady Tigers further up the scoreboard. With less than one minute on the clock, Bertram stood at the charity stripe on two occasions, going two for two and one for one, respectively. Briante Gowdy came off the bench immediately recording an and-one layup. The final quarter came to an end, and the Lady Tigers took the win over the Might Oaks, 86-67.    

By the end of the game, the Lady Tigers finished with 34-of-69 from the field (49.3%) and 8-of-24 from the three-point line (33.3%), while the Mighty Oaks finished with 26-of-63 from the field (41.3%) and 5-of-16 from the three-point line (31.3%). Campbellsville had two players in double-digit points, with Wilks with 25 points and Pedigo with 13 points. 

Original source can be found here.