BUIES CREEK, N.C.-Sophomore
forward Lauren Yesh posted a game-high 16 points on 6-of-11 from
the floor, leading Campbell to its first Atlantic Sun conference
win of the year, as the Lady Camels downed Mercer 56-50 inside the
John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center.
Campbell
improved to 8-4
on the year, moving to 1-2 in league action, while Mercer falls to
6-6 with the loss and 2-1 in A-Sun play.
Yesh's 16 points were
supplemented by two rebounds, two steals and a single assist, while
Jessica Mack and Amanda O'Neill posted seven points each in the
win. Mack, a senior guard, ended the game with a career-high 11
rebounds, along with three steals and two assists. It was the
second consecutive game where Mack led the Lady Camels on the
glass.
Junior center Ashley
Williamson recorded eight points and six rebounds on the afternoon.
The Colonial Heights, Va. native also contributed two assists, a
block and one steal. Fellow junior Lynisha Ochogu tallied six
points and six rebounds in the win along with two
steals.
The Bears were led by the
tandem of LaToya Jackson and Dominique Chism, who combined for 31
of the team's 50 points. Jackson claimed 16 points and four boards
on the afternoon, while Chism poured in 15 tallies with five
rebounds. Courtney Ford added eight points and nine rebounds in the
loss. The trio combined for 47 of Mercer's 57 shots.
The Bears led by as many as
seven in the opening stanza, as a Chism layup pushed the Mercer
lead to 20-13. By the end of the half, Campbell trimmed the score
to 26-23 behind Yesh's 10 points. Mack, who gathered seven rebounds
in her previous outing at Winthrop, matched that total in the first
half of the game, adding three points and three steals.
After the break, the Bears
maintained the lead until a Yesh basket at the 11:01 mark gave CU
its first lead since 14:29 in the opening frame, as the Lady Camels
took the 33-31 advantage. After three long Ochogu jumpers found the
bottom of the net, Mercer's Jackson responded with eight
consecutive points, including a pair of threes, knotting the game
at 39-all.
With 1:40 remaining in the
contest, the score was again tied, but an O'Neill lay-in from
Ochogu put the Lady Camels ahead for good, 52-50. Four made free
throws sealed the Campbell win, 56-50.
The Lady Camels will continue
A-Sun play on Monday, hosting Kennesaw State at 5:45 p.m. inside
the Pope Center.
