Game Notes | @GoCamelsWBB
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Campbell women's basketball team welcomes Presbyterian College on Saturday at 1 p.m. as it plays the middle contest of a three games in five day stretch. Saturday is a doubleheader day at Gore Arena/John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center as the men's basketball team takes on Gardner-Webb at 3:30 p.m.
"It will be nice playing a doubleheader with our men here on Saturday," said head coach Wanda Watkins. "We have our work cut out for us with Presbyterian, who is a really good team. We are going to have to be at our best. They are a lot like Coastal Carolina in that teams do not score a lot of points against them, because they are really good defensively.
"Presbyterian has a lot of weapons from an offensive standpoint and is a very methodical team. We look forward to the opportunity and challenge that they will bring us."
The Lady Camels resumed Big South play on Thursday with a 64-54 victory over Coastal Carolina to improve to 2-0 in the league and 10-3 overall. After playing the Blue Hose on Saturday, the Lady Camels are off to Boiling Springs, N.C. to play Gardner-Webb on Monday at 7 p.m.
For coach Watkins in her 32nd year with the Lady Camels, the victory over the Chanticleers was a milestone in earning conference win No. 250. She is now 93-33 in the Big South and 157-161 in the Atlantic Sun. Watkins has 488 career victories in her time at Campbell.
"It is all about Campbell and these players," said Watkins. "I have been blessed to really have some good players over the years, who have made my job a fun one. Our players really worked hard and Coastal Carolina really came at us hard in the second half. I thought our team really hung on and played their hearts out."
Freshman guard Zena Lovette (High Point, N.C.) paced the Lady Camels with 11 points as each starter notched at least eight. Each team had runs during the game, but Campbell made a major statement with an 18-2 start during the opening nine minutes.
With a nine point and season-high seven rebound performance, junior guard Monique Spry (Wilson, N.C.) was a key contributor in the Campbell win. The bench chipped in 18 points as all 13 Lady Camels that dressed earned time on the court.
"We have the makings of a good basketball team if we play together and are focused," said coach Watkins. "We have some young players, but also a few veterans. With this team, if we can maintain our togetherness, and understand that it does not matter who scores if we find the open look. We need to improve our consistency, so that we can go up and down the bench and keep our fluidness."
Moving into ninth on the Campbell all-time scoring list was senior guard Tonisha Baker (High Point, N.C.) with nine points to move past Denise Ford (1985-89) at 1,243. Baker has 1,248 career points with Rhonda Mueller (1978-82) next on the chart in eighth at 1,276.
Campbell has a 2-1 mark all-time against Presbyterian, all in the past three seasons. The Blue Hose took the only non-league meeting 53-51 at home on Dec. 20, 2010. The Lady Camels took a 53-44 decision in Clinton, S.C., on Jan. 28, 2012 and later that year won 68-44 at Gore Arena on Feb. 27.
Presbyterian (8-6) comes in to Saturday's game after a 51-49 victory at Liberty on Jan. 3 to sit atop the Big South standings at 3-0. The Blue Hose have defeated Charleston So. (58-57), Coastal Carolina (50-30), Clemson (49-46), Southern Wesleyan (62-50), N.C. Central (49-37), Brevard (69-46) and UCF (53-49).
The duo of Karlee Taylor and Dria David have provided consistent scoring for the Blue Hose offense with 10.7 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. The top rebounders have been Shonda Burnside (5.1) and Mariah Pietrowski (5.0). David paces the squad with 53 assists and 31 steals.
Presbyterian shoots at a 40.7 pct. rate and posts 50.2 points per game. The team grabs 33.9 rebounds per contest. Head coach Ronny Fisher is in his fifth season leading the Presbyterian program
The Lady Camels wrap up their three games in a five day span on Monday with a 7 p.m. tip at Gardner-Webb. Campbell plays its next home game at Gore Arena/John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center on Jan. 12 against High Point at 1 p.m.
