BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell was unable to stop Charleston Southern's three-point shooting as Erin Bratcher, who tied a game-high with 26 points, connected on seven of the teams' 15 three-point field goals in an 81-71 loss on Thursday night. Senior forward Roslyn Presley (Petersburg, Va.) also scored 26 points, making 12-of-16 attempts from the field and contributed seven rebounds.
Charleston Southern (5-9, 2-4 Big South) set new Gore Arena/John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center records for women's basketball in three pointers made by a team (15) and individual (7 - Bratcher). The marks surpass the 13 threes that Campbell (8-7, 3-3 Big South) made vs. Asheville (1/2/12) and the six three pointers achieved three times, last by Kelsey Hobbie (Presbyterian) on 1/5/13.
A 13-point performance was registered by sophomore guard Kiera Gaines (Mechanicsville, Va.), who added a team-best eight rebounds, against Charleston Southern (5-9, 2-4 Big South). Each of the nine Lady Camels that entered the contest made a field goal for the first time since a victory over Columbia (S.C.) College (12/3/12).
Secondary scoring came from junior guards Casey Elliott (Wilson, N.C.) and Summer Leverette (Turkey, N.C.) with nine and seven points, respectively. Senior forward Heather Beadle (Austin, Texas) added five points.
Campbell finished 28-of-55 (50.9) from the field, but could not overcome the Bucs' 15-of-32 (46.9) performance from deep. This was the first time the Lady Camels made 50 pct. of their baskets since going 23-46 (50.0) at Radford (2/7/13).
The Bucs had five players make at least one three-point field goal with the Tatum Jarvis (3) and DJ Fowler (2) each hitting multiple. Fowler finished with 17 points and Jarvis added 16 points.
Campbell trailed at the half, 36-31, in a back-and-forth frame that saw three ties and eight lead changes. The Bucs' Bratcher started 6-of-8 from three-point range, aiding the team to a 10-of-17 performance from beyond the arc.
Bratcher and Jarvis opened the second half for Charleston Southern to post its largest lead of the contest, 50-38, with 18:24 left. Campbell stormed back on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 52-47 on layups from Presley (2) and James prior to the under 12-minute media timeout.
The Lady Camels came within four points on four occasions with the last coming after a jumper by Presley, 61-57, with 5:58 remaining, but the Bucs had an answer for each rally. Charleston Southern made 11 of 12 free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
With the Bucs hitting shots from the perimeter, Campbell went inside offensively to register a 38-6 edge in the paint.
A plus-seven rebounding margin, 35-28, was also notched by the Lady Camels during the contest. Senior forward Ashley James (Round Rock, Texas) pulled down seven boards.
For the first time during the campaign, Campbell fell when it tallied 20 or more assists with sophomore guard RaeChaun Edwards (Spring Grove, Va.) leading the way with six followed by Gaines (5). Alyssa Mann also tied a contest-high with six asssts for CSU.
Campbell completes a two-game homestand on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Coastal Carolina. The Lady Camels will honor their 1989 Big South and 2000 TAAC Tournament Champions at halftime as apart for an alumni reunion at Gore Arena/John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center.
