BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell converted 20 East Carolina turnovers
into 19 points and defeated the Pirates 74-68 Tuesday night at the
John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center / Gilbert Craig Gore Arena.
In the first men's basketball game played between the schools at
Buies Creek since the 1946-47 season, the Fighting Camels won a
seesaw battle that featured nine ties and 12 lead changes.
After ECU point guard Brock Young hit a fade away baseline jumper
that gave the Pirates their final edge at 64-63 with 3:01 left;
Lorne Merthie's triple from deep in the right corner just seven
seconds later started an 11-2 Campbell run to seal the victory.
Playing in front of a record Gore Arena crowd of 2778, Campbell
(2-0) ended an eight-game losing streak to the Pirates and earned
its first victory over its eastern North Carolina rival since Dec.
1994.
Merthie topped the Camels with 17 points, 11 in the second half.
Jonathan Rodriguez added 13, all in the final period, plus 10
rebounds for his 41st career double-double. Kyle Vejraska came off
the bench to score 12.
Preston Dodson and Junard Hartley added eight apiece for the
Camels, who shot 50 percent in the final period and made 15-of-18
free throws on the night. Hartley dealt four assists and made
three steals, while Amir Celestin came off the bench to add five
dishes. Campbell's backcourt trio of Merthie (2 assists), Hartley
and Celestin combined for 11 assists against only three turnovers
in a combined 81 minutes.
Young led East Carolina (1-2) with 19 points, including 11-of-12
from the stripe, and five assists, but committed nine turnovers.
Jontae Sherrod added 13 points, and Darrius Morrow 12, plus six
boards for ECU, which dropped its second in a row following
Sunday's loss at Wake Forest.
Neither team led by more than four points in the final stanza until
Campbell's final burst. ECU went 0-for-2 from the floor and had
three turnovers in the last 2:27. Trailing 70-66 with 48 seconds
to go, Darrius Morrow missed both ends of a two-shot foul
opportunity. Chad Wynn rebounded for the Pirates, but Erin
Straughn missed from the floor. Rodriguez then fed Chris Reynolds
for an uncontested layup to give CU a 72-66 edge.
Young committed his final turnover on the following possession and
Rodriguez dropped in a transition bucket for Campbell's largest
lead of the second half (74-66). After Young's free throws with
nine seconds provided the final margin, the Camels dribbled out the
final seconds before the Campbell student body stormed the
floor.
Campbell shot 41.3 percent (26-63) from the floor on the night,
83.3 (15-18) from the line and made 7-of-23 triples (.304), while
committing just 11 turnovers - four in the final half. East
Carolina finished the night shooting 47.9 percent (23-48) from the
floor, 19-of-27 (.704) from the line, but made only 3-of-15 (.200)
from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Pirates finished with a slight 34-33 edge on the glass.
East Carolina took a 37-36 lead into the dressing room after an
opening half when the score changed hands seven times. The Camels
jumped to a 14-5 lead following an early 12-2 run.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Kyle Vejraska gave the Camels a
29-22 edge with 6:12 to play before ECU responded with nine
unanswered points.
Off to its first 2-0 start since the '06-07 club opened 3-0, the
Camels return to action Saturday in a 4:30 p.m. tip-off at UNC
Asheville. East Carolina plays Tennessee on Friday at the U.S.
Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
