BUIES
CREEK,
N.C. Jonathan Rodriguez scored 29 points and grabbed 11
rebounds to lead Campbell to a 69-64 men's basketball win over
visiting Norfolk State Tuesday night at Carter
Gym. Kyle Vejraska added 16 points
and Reggie Bishop 11 for the Fighting Camels (4-6), who won their
second-straight game.
Rodriguez tallied his eighth
double-double in the last nine games to raise his Atlantic Sun
Conference-leading averages to 22.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per
game. The A-Sun player of
the week canned 9-of-14 from the floor and 11-of-14 free throws in
his seventh 20-plus point outing of the
year.
Over the last four games, the
6-foot-5 sophomore forward has made 43-67 (.642) shots from the
field while averaging 28.3 points and 12.8
boards.
Vejraska hit 6-of-10 field
goals and made 4-of-4 free throws for the Camels, who converted a
season-high 88 percent (22-of-25) from the stripe. Jake Wohlfeil added six points, plus a
career-high eight assists, while freshman guard Junard Hartley had
five assists.
Tony Murphy was the lone
Spartan in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-22 shooting,
including 4-of-12 threes.
Kevin Worsley added eight points and 10 rebounds, while Michael
Deloach had eight points and five assists for Norfolk State (2-7),
which lost its third-consecutive outing.
Norfolk State shot just 40.6 percent
(28-69) from the floor, but the Spartans converted 17 offensive
rebounds into 22 second-chance points and 23 Fighting Camel
turnovers led to 29 Spartan points.
Deloach's drive in the lane
capped a 13-2 run and gave Norfolk State its largest lead 43-34
with 15:46 left in the contest. CU chipped away and tied the game at
53-all on Rodriguez' foul shots with 6:02 remaining.
Bishop's triple with 3:10 to
go broke a 58-all tie and put the Camels in front for good. CU canned its final 11 foul
shots of the game, including 8-of-8 in the last
2:13.
Norfolk State, which made just 4-of-6 from
the line on the night, was unable to cut the margin to less than
three in the final three minutes.
The Camels hit 44.7 (21-47)
from the floor, including 5-of-16 (.313) from 3-point
range.
Norfolk State used a 12-2 run helped
along by four Camel turnovers midway through the first half
to take a 26-19 lead, capped by Corey Lyons' lay-in with 5:44
left. CU, however, scored
nine unanswered points late in the period and the game was tied at
29-all at the break.
Campbell committed 12 first-half
turnovers that the Spartans converted into 15 points. Rodriguez had 15 points on 4-of-7
shooting, plus 7-of-8 free throws, plus seven rebounds in the
opening period.
CU returns to action Dec. 28
in a 7:00 p.m. contest at Liberty that will be televised by the
Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). Norfolk State plays Saturday (3:00) at
Evansville.