Box Score (pdf)
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell made 17 of its first 23 shots in the second half and went on to defeat Barber-Scotia 97-58 Friday night in its season opener at Gore Arena.
D.J. Mason led five Camels in double figures with 20 points, plus nine rebounds and three blocks. Rod Days added 18 points in his CU debut, while Nehemiah Mabson (14), Andrew Ryan (13) and Curtis Phillips (10) also hit double digits.
Campbell (1-0) led by 19 at the break and extended the gap to as many as 39 while claiming its home opener at Gore Arena for the seventh-straight year. CU shot 64.7 percent (22-34) from the field in the final half, 55 percent (39-71) for the game and outscored the smaller Sabers by a 58-26 edge in the paint.
A junior center, Mason hit 10-of-12 shots in the game to match his career high of 20 points set last season at Georgia Southern. A red-shirt junior, Days hit 7-of-11 shots in his first game in a Camel uniform after transferring from UCF.
Ryan connected on 5-of-10 from the field, pulled down seven boards and dealt seven assists in just 21 minutes of action. Mabson, a 6-foot-6 freshman, canned all six of his attempts from the field, while fellow frosh Phillips grabbed six rebounds and made three steals.
Luke Moyer added 9 points on a trio of threes, while point guard Quinton Ray dealt seven assists with no turnovers six rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes.
Shaquille Wilson led Barber-Scotia (1-3) with 16 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. Chris Calvan added 14 points and Tristan Baxter 12 for the Sabers, who shot just 34 percent (22-65) from the field and were out-rebounded by a 48-32 margin.
The Camels never trailed in the game and jumped to a double-figure margin (14-4) on Mason's dunk with 13:51 to go in the opening half. The lead stood at double digits for the final 29:03 on the contest after Phillips made his first career three-pointer.
Campbell led 43-24 at the break as Days (13), Mason (12) and Ryan (8) combined for 33 points. The Camels scored 13 first-half points off eight Saber turnovers and led by as many as 21 before intermission.
Walk-ons Jacob Talbert (career-high four points), Casey Perrin (three assists) and Lance Brown (two assists) saw extensive playing time, while junior Jordan Faciane hit career highs with 6 points and 5 assists off the bench.
The Camels travel to Davidson Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. contest that will be televised throughout the region on Time Warner Cable. CU then hosts Colgate next Saturday (Nov. 22) at 2:00 p.m.
