Game Notes | @GoCamelsWBB
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Seniors Tonisha Baker (High Point, N.C.), Jazmine Cooper (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Monique Spry (Wilson, N.C.) will be recognized on Saturday prior to their final home contest for the Campbell women's basketball team against UNC Asheville at 4:30 p.m. inside Gore Arena/John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center. The contest follows the men's basketball game against VMI that begins with a 2 p.m. tip on MASN-TV.
Fans can follow the Lady Camels with live stats and a video broadcast through links on the women's basketball schedule page. In-game updates can be found by following @GoCamelsWBB on Twitter.
"We have three seniors that have been great for our team and have helped elevate our program to the next level," said coach Watkins. "I hope that everyone will come out on Saturday and support them, so that we can send them out in style."
The most notable member of the senior trio is Baker, who is a member of the Lady Camels' 1,000-point and 500-rebound club. The High Point, N.C., native has posted 13 20-point and two 30-point games, while registering 10-career double-doubles. Click here for a feature story on Baker's impact to the Campbell program.
Providing a ton of inspiration this year for Campbell is Spry after successfully recovering from her second knee surgery. The Wilson, N.C., native earned a starting spot this year and has totaled over 550 poitns and 220 rebounds in the season. Spry will forgo her senior year after graduating in May. Click here for a feature story on the motivation that Spry and freshman RaeChaun Edwards (Spring Grove, Va.) have provided the team.
Cooper has played in over 100 games for Campbell and has eclipsed the top-10 in the record books for field goal percentage and blocked shots. The Fayetteville, N.C., native has reached double figures on 27 occasions and notched eight-career double-doubles.
The Lady Camels enter the contest with UNC Asheville with a 17-8 mark overall and 9-5 record against Big South competition. Second-place in the league standings is within reach as Campbells is a half-game behind Winthrop, High Point and Presbyterian. Campbell has upcoming matchups against the Panthers and Blue Hose prior to the final contest of the regular season.
In its last game, Campbell wore pink jerseys to promote awareness for breast cancer and defeated Gardner-Webb, 65-46, on Feb. 14. Baker led all scorers with 14 points, while junior Ashley James (Round Rock, Texas) and sophomore forward Kiera Gaines (Mechanicsville, Va.) each contributed 13 points.
"The difference in the game were the turnovers that we forced and capitalized on in the first half as we took a 20-5 lead," said coach Watkins. "Our student-athletes were really getting after it on defense by being aggressive and forcing turnovers."
For the second-straight contest, the Lady Camels forced their opponent into a season-high 29 turnovers. Those mistakes included 16 steals, which fueled the team's transition game and led to a season-best 32 points off turnovers.
The victory was No. 100 for Campbell as a member of the Big South (1986-94, 2011-pres.) and moved coach Watkins to within five victories of the 500-win milestone.
The team paces the Big South in 3FG Pct. (.377), assists (15.6), steals (11.3) and assist/turnover ratio (0.9).
Campbell holds a decisive 30-7 advantage over UNC Asheville in the all-time series. The Lady Camels are 13-5 away and 14-2 at home, while boasting a 3-0 mark in neutral site venues. The teams split the first six meetings (1980-94) before Campbell took the next 20 games in a row (1984-93). Since then, the Lady Camels are 7-4, which includes taking the last three matchups.
UNC Asheville enters the contest at 2-23 on the season with its victories over Montreat (77-50) and Columbia (S.C.) (70-48). The Bulldogs are still seeking their first league victory, but have had close contests with High Point (57858), Coastal Carolina (46-50), Charleston So. (48-54) and Winthrop (59-65).
Leading the Bulldogs in scoring is Kelli Riles with 10.8 points per game followed by Gentry Manley with 8.2. Riles has pulled down a team-best 9.9 rebounds per game. With 71 assists, Grace Blalock paces the team, while Manley has forced a team-high 35 steals.
UNCA as a team is shooting 34.1 pct. from the field and 26.2 pct. from beyond the arc. An area to watch for the Bulldogs are turnovers, averaging 20.8 in each game and posting a minus-4.4 margin. Head Coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick is in her first season leading the program.
As the schedule moves towards the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Championships, the Lady Camels close the regular season with a three-game road trip. Presbyterian is the first opponent for Campbell on Thursday at 7 p.m. followed by Charleston Southern on Saturday at 2 p.m. A trip to High Point on Feb. 28 is the final date left on the slate.
