By Eric Montgomery | NAIA Media Relations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - (Box Score) No. 5-seeded Campbellsville (Ky.) knocked down seven free throws in the last 1:30 of the second half to hold off LSU Shreveport (La.), 88-80, Thursday evening in the first round of the 2015 Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. The Tigers advance to the second round on Friday, March 20 to take on the winner of No. 12 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and Westmont (Calif.) at 9:45 p.m.

Campbellsville (29-5) held a 81-74 lead with 1:50 to play before Eric Gaines went to the free throw line for a pair of shots. He hit one of two attempts, the first of 10 attempts in the last 1:30 of the second half. The Tigers hit six of the last eight attempts after Ehron Ponds hit a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining to bring the Pilots within five points.

“We are very happy to be moving on,” said Campbellsville head coach Keith Adkins. “The name of the game this time of year is survive and advance and we were able to do that. I thought our best players played well tonight. I think our top three players are as good and competitive as anyone else’s best three in the country.”

The Tigers led by as much as 17 points with 5:01 remaining before the Pilots used a 12-2 run over 3:11 to pull the game within seven, 81-74. After trailing by two at halftime, LSU Shreveport stayed within four points through the opening five minutes, but Campbellsville stretched the lead to 14 points at the 11:44 mark.

Campbellsville shot 53.7 percent (29 of 54) from the field and enjoyed a 20-6 advantage at the free throw line. Both teams knocked down 10 three-point shots, and LSU Shreveport posted a 42-37 rebounding advantage that included a 17-4 margin on the offensive end.

“This group has shown resiliency throughout the year,” said LSU Shreveport head coach Kyle Blankenship. “We have had many ball games where we have been down by double digits and we were able to fight and compete, giving everything we got. We ask our guys to be all in, to fight, to never quit. They put that on display tonight.”

D’Von Campbell scored 24 points and hit six-of-eight three-point shots for Campbellsville, while Damontre Harris was one of two Tigers with a double-double, posting 20 points and 11 rebounds. Eric Gaines also added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with five assists, while Elliott Young chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds.

Josh Walker led all scorers with 25 points to go along with eight rebounds for LSU Shreveport. Jesse McWright added 10 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Pilots.

LSU Shreveport finishes its season with a record of 21-11.

Game Notes:
Campbellsville – Head coach Keith Adkins was named the NABC-NAIA Coach of the Year at Tuesday night’s Tip-Off Banquet … Harris was the nation’s leading shot-blocker with and recorded four blocked shots, the 13th time this season with at least four blocks … Campbellsville picked up its first opening round win in the National Championship since 2008 when the team advanced to the Fab Four, improving to 4-6 in tournament openers.

LSU Shreveport – The Pilots appeared in the national championship for the 10th-straight season, the second-longest streak among this year’s qualifiers (Georgetown, 23) … LSU Shreveport dropped its second-straight first round game after winning the previous three openers, falling to 5-6 all-time in the first round … The Pilots record this season finished at 7-7 when allowed 80 points or more, losing back-to-back decisions to finish the campaign.