BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Kaylah Keys scored 24 points and High Point shot 58.6 percent from the floor in the second half to earn a 76-62 win over Campbell Saturday at Gore Arena.
After trailing 30-28 at intermission, the Panthers made 15 of their first 25 field goals in the final period to break open a close game.
A freshman guard, Keys, finished just one point shy of her season high by making 4-of-10 threes and 6-of-6 from the line. Stacia Robertson added 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while freshman DeAnneisha Jackson scored 11 on 5-of-7 shooting for High Point (7-7, 3-2 Big South).
Junior guard Casey Elliott (Wilson, N.C.) scored a career-high 14 points, including 9-of-9 from the line, to become the eighth different leading scorer for Campbell (8-5, 3-2 Big South). She also grabbed a career-best five rebounds.
Senior forward Roslyn Presley (Petersburg, Va.) added 13 points and junior guard Kiera Gaines (Mechanicsville, Va.) contribitued 12.
After a first half that saw the lead change 15 times and neither team lead by more than four points, High Point hit 11 of its first 21 shots of the second half. Keys connected on a three that capped a 23-10 run and gave the Panthers a 59-44 lead with 8:42 to play.
With Gaines, senior forward Ashley James (Round Rock, Texas) and junior forward Juli Osborne (Kingsport, Tenn.) saddled with four personal fouls, Campbell was unable to cut the gap to single digits thereafter.
High Point shot 48.3 percent (28-58) from the floor on the day, hitting 8-of-24 threes and 12-of-13 from the line. Campbell finished 18-of-49 from the field (.367), 4-of-11 from 3-point distance and 22-of-31 (.710) from the free throw stripe.
The Panthers recorded a 39-29 edge on the glass and outscored the Lady Camels 28-18 in the paint.
Making just her third career start, Elliott eclipsed her personal bests for points and rebounds in the first half alone. The guard from Wilson, N.C., scored 10 points, grabbed five boards and dealt three assists in 16 minutes of the opening half.
Campbell shot 31 percent (9-29) in the first period, but knocked down 10-of-12 free throws. High Point made 37.9 percent (11-29) of its shots in the frame.
Osborne earned her first start of the season and the second of her career, registering two points during the contest.
The Lady Camels return to action Monday at North Carolina A&T with the start set for 6 p.m.
