Thursday,
February 8, 2007
Contact: Stan Cole
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Jonathan
Rodriguez and Eric Smith led six double figure scorers with 25
points each and Campbell defeated Stetson 104-82 in Atlantic Sun
men's basketball action Thursday at Carter Gym.
The Fighting Camels (11-13,
6-8) set a school record for most points scored in an A-Sun game,
eclipsing their 99-point effort against Belmont on Feb. 18, 2006.
CU also topped the 100-point barrier for the fifth time this year,
while matching its season-best with 15 three-point field
goals.
Smith hit 7-of-8 from the
floor, including 6-of-7 from 3-point distance, and 5-of-6 free
throws, while adding three assists and no turnovers in 33 minutes.
Rodriguez finished 7-of-12 from the floor, 10-of-10 from the
stripe, and grabbed 10 rebounds for the ninth double-double of his
freshman season.
Jake Wohlfeil added 15
points, the most the junior from San Diego has scored since an
18-point effort against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 18. He made 3-of-5
triples and all six of his foul shots. Ruell Pringle scored 11
points on 5-of-7 shooting, while grabbing six boards. Russ Gibson
chipped in 10 points, while Ledell Eackles came off the bench to
contribute 10, plus six rebounds and seven assists with only one
turnover.
Garfield Blair led Stetson
(8-16, 4-9) with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Kris Thomas
added 22, including 3-of-6 treys. Gabe McMillen had 15 points for
the Hatters, who shot 44.8 percent (30-67) as a team, but made just
8-of-30 threes (.267).
Campbell knocked down 15-of-27 threes
(.556), including 4-of-4 in a decisive stretch during the second
half, after Stetson took its only lead of the game at 62-61.
Campbell led 52-38 at the break, but a 16-2 Hatter flurry, capped
by Mark Lohuis' three with 12:11 remaining, pushed the visitors in
front by one.
However, the Camels answered
with an 18-5 burst of their own to go up 79-67 with 7:55 to play.
Smith, Pringle and Eackles nailed threes on consecutive possessions
to start the rally and Gibson's foul shots pushed the margin to 12.
McMillen's trey brought Stetson within 79-70 with 7:15 to go, but
Rodriguez hit a triple just 15 seconds later and the Hatters never
cut the gap to single digits again.
Campbell ended a 3-game losing streak
and improved to 10-2 at Carter Gym this season. CU could match the
school record for wins in a season at the 54-year-old facility on
Saturday when the Camels host Mercer at 1:00 p.m.
The Camels shot 57.7 percent
in the second period (15-26), and 55.6 percent for the game (30-54)
and tallied the most points in a game since a 107-65 win over
Division II Ohio Valley on Dec. 30. Campbell's 15 threes equaled
the number CU made in a 94-70 loss at Virginia Tech on Dec. 23 and
fell just one shy of the school record 16 the Camels hit at
Winthrop on Feb. 22, 1993.
Campbell made 10 more free throws
(29-of-34) than Stetson attempted (14-of-19) in a match-up of the
top two foul shooting teams in the league. The Camels finished with
a 36-30 edge on the boards.
The Camels hit 7-of-12 threes
(.583) and 15-of-18 free throws in the first half to take a 52-38
lead at the break. CU's first-half production marked its
highest-scoring period since the Camels tallied 56 in the first
stanza Jan. 13 at Mercer. Smith had eight of his 16 first-half
points during a 14-2 Camel run midway through the period. [Box Score]