Campbellsville, Ky.-- Cumberland overcame a nine point disadvantage at the break to force the game into overtime, but were ultimately unable to pull out a road win against Campbellsville.

The Tigers (8-12, 3-11) outshot the Phoenix (10-9, 7-7), going 46.4% from the field compared to Cumberland’s 38.6%. It was a physical battle from beginning to end, with a total of 37 fouls being dealt- 22 of which were against the Phoenix. Both teams struggled from behind the arc, shooting just over 30% with only six landing on each side.

Jordan Stephens and Isaac Stephens led the Phoenix in scoring on the night with 14 and 13 points respectively. Nassir Coleman had a solid outing with eight points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Jaylen Negron earned some crucial buckets for the Phoenix, totaling ten points off the bench.

Malachi De Sousa led the Tigers in their victory with 21 points going 9-15 from the field on an impressive night. Keaston Brown picked up 14 points and Jace Wallace added ten while also leading his team with seven rebounds.

The teams swapped points early on until the 15 minute mark when Cumberland found the first significant break in scoring and led by as many as eight with key connections coming from Jordan Stephens and a five point run from Ty’Reek Johnson off the bench. 

The Tigers found their urgency and held Cumberland scoreless for the next two minutes while they chipped away at the deficit. A 9-0 scoring run and relentless attention from the defense completely shifted the half’s momentum in favor of the Tigers. 

Campbellsville executed on the majority of their possessions to stay up for the rest of the half, while the Phoenix struggled to find a run of their own as leading scorer Stephens was limited in minutes after collecting a few fouls. 

The Tigers took the biggest lead of the game at 40-29 with 0:48 on the clock and closed out the half with a nine point advantage after shooting an impressive 57.7% from the field.

The Phoenix had a solid first six minutes out of the break and a tough layup from Isaac Stephens brought it within three at 44-41 for a one possession match. The Tigers retaliated almost immediately with a 5-0 run to spread it back out to eight.

Tyler Byrd came alive at the right moment, sinking back-to-back looks from behind the arc to make it a two possession game. It was a physical battle from that moment on with the Phoenix on the Tigers’ heels while defensively limiting them to just fourteen points in the first 14 minutes of the half. 

With two minutes left on the clock, Negron brought it within one with an eight-foot jumper and Coleman powered through a tough layup to tie it at 63-63 to send Cumberland into overtime for the first time this season.

The Tigers controlled the extra minutes, keeping the Phoenix at bay for the first two minutes while they jumped to an early lead. Stephens fouled out with 4:06 on the clock and Cumberland struggled to connect enough shots to shake the Tigers. 

Campbellsville pulled out a 77-68 win on their home court, picking up 14 points in OT compared to only six from Cumberland.

The Phoenix will stay on the road for another conference battle on Saturday at Lindsey Wilson. Tip off is scheduled for 3 pm in Columbia, Ky.