BUIES CREEK, N.C.-Lauren
Yesh scored all 12 of her points in the second half, fueling
Campbell to a 67-61 Education Day win over North Carolina Central
Tuesday afternoon in front of a record crowd inside the John W.
Pope Jr. Convocation Center.
Campbell improves to 1-7 on the year, while NCCU falls to 1-8.
The announced attendance was 3,095 for the game, a Pope Center
sellout, and a Lady Camel record for a home contest. That mark far
surpasses the previous record of 1,945, set in last season's
opener, a win over Wofford.
Yesh's 12 tallies came on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 6-for-9
clip in the second half. The senior forward also pulled down five
of her eight rebounds in the second frame.
Freshman forward Ashley
James posted a stellar day with her first career double-double,
registering personal-bests with 11 points and 14 rebounds. The
Round Rock, Texas native's 14 boards is a season-high for any Lady
Camel this season. James recorded a 4-of-6 rate from the floor,
also notching one steal and one block.
Junior guard Amanda
O'Neill reached double figures for the second time this season
with 11 points, adding five rebounds and a pair of assists.
Sophomore guard Tonisha
Baker also tallied nine points with four rebounds and three
assists. Kate
Cloxton, a junior guard, added eight points and a season-high
eight assists. Sophomore guard Monique
Spry tacked on six points, five assists and three steals in the
CU win.
Leading the Lady Eagles were senior forward Jori Nwachukwu and
senior guard Shanise Blanks, who both poured in 14 points.
Nwachukwu added five rebounds while Blanks posted four boards and
three assists. Blaire Houston, a junior guard, also reached double
figures with 10 points.
Freshman guard Tenika Neely posted seven points for NCCU, and
sophomore forward J'Mia Pollock added six rebounds, three points
and here blocks.
NC Central outshot the Lady Camels 41.4 to 37.5 percent in the
opening frame, taking a 31-30 lead into the break. CU did own a
25-15 advantage on the glass, led by nine from James.
Out of the half, O'Neill nailed a three to put the Lady Camels up
33-31 after James pulled down her 10th rebound to keep
the CU possession alive.
After another O'Neill layup, NCCU stormed back with a 13-6 run,
taking a 44-41 lead at the 12:07 mark.
Four Lady Camels then combined for a 9-0 run, capped by a Yesh
basket with 9:21 remaining to put Campbell up six.
Nwachukwu, however, tallied the game's next four points to bring
the contest back to a two-point CU lead. Still up by a pair with
5:46 to play, Baker buried a long three from the right wing, giving
Campbell a 57-52 lead and sparking a 13-9 CU run to end the
game.
Campbell will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 16, starting
Atlantic Sun play at USC Upstate.
