BUIES
CREEK,
N.C. – Jonathan Rodriguez led four double figure scorers with
19 points and Campbell defeated UNC Asheville 94-57 Saturday at
Gore Arena.
Freshmen Lorne Merthie and
Amir Celestin added season highs of 14 points each and William
Kossangue chipped in 10 for the Camels (2-1), who converted 20 UNCA
turnovers into 29 points.
The 37-point victory margin
was Campbell's largest against a Division I opponent since Feb. 6,
1989 when the Camels defeated Augusta 99-62 when both were members
of the Big South Conference.
On Saturday, the Camels shot
63 percent in the second half, 59 percent for the game, and had 30
assists on 39 made field goals. CU knocked down 11-of-24 three-point
shots (.458) and held a 38-21 advantage on the boards. Campbell converted its 13 offensive
rebounds into a 14-7 edge in second-chance points.
Rodriguez hit 8-of-12 shots,
led all rebounders with eight and dealt five assists with no
turnovers in 27 minutes.
Merthie opened the game with triples on each of CU's first two
possessions and finished 3-of-6 from beyond the arc with four
assists.
Celestin hit 5-of-6 from the
field, 4-of-5 from 3-point range, while Kossangue added three
assists and three steals in 21 minutes.
Campbell's bench outscored the
visitors 43-22 as Miles Taylor scored nine points and Preston
Dodson added eight, plus five rebounds.
Sean Smith led UNCA (3-1)
with 13 points, including 3-of-6 threes. Matt Dickey and Chris Stephenson
chipped in nine apiece for the Bulldogs, who shot just 43.8 percent
for the game.
A 13-0 Camel run propelled
Campbell to a 42-28 half-time lead as the Camels made 8-of-16
threes in the opening stanza. CU scored 16 of its first-half points
off turnovers, while surrendering just two on its four first-half
miscues.
UNCA trimmed the gap to 44-33
on J.P. Primm's bucket with 18:14 remaining, but the Camels
responded with an 18-2 run that was capped by Celestin's trey and
dunk in transition.
CU's 94-point outburst was
its highest since a 104-82 victory over Stetson on Feb. 8,
2007.
The Fighting Camels return to
action Monday at home against high-scoring VMI in a 7:00 p.m.
tip-off. The Keydets have
eclipsed the century mark in three of their first four games,
including a 111-103 victory at Kentucky.
