The Grace Christian University men's basketball team was eager to get back in action Monday night at Campbellsville University-Somerset after a couple months away from competition, kicking off 2021 with the first of a five-game stretch this week in Kentucky.
 
The Tigers brought the energy in the first half and were able to develop a double-digit lead and ultimately carried a 53-46 advantage into the halftime break. They would continue to lead all the way until the 4:30 mark of the second half, when an 11-2 run from Campbellsville would give them the lead and the Tigers could not make the plays and defensive stops necessary down the stretch to capture it back.
 
Jarius Shumpert led the Tigers with 21 points, followed by Chandler Rivers with 20 and Kierson Watts with 19.
 
"We knew we had a very young and inexperienced team and it showed tonight," said Head Coach Gary Bailey. "The kids played hard and gave a great effort. You can't coach that. But the things that we do need to fix will have to be done without a lot of practice time. Our schedule doesn't allow many practice days. Because we have so many new players we are having to teach the culture of Grace which has been our secret. Getting players to understand what we do, how we do it, and going to take up quite a bit of the early season. We were off for two months without practicing and it show tonight. These kids are resilient and eager to learn."
 
The Tigers look to get back on the right foot today at Asbury College (KY), tipping off at 2:00 pm.
 
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