BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Two key three-pointers from freshman Summer Price helped seal Campbell's 65-60 win over North Carolina Central at Gore Arena Monday night.
The win is Campbell's second in a row in Gore Arena to kick off the 2014-15 season.
Price finished the game with 13 points on 2-for-7 shooting, going 2-for-4 from three and 7-for-8 from the free throw line, adding six rebounds and a block.
Senior Kiera Gaines netted a game-high 18 points, going 6-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-4 shooting from three, and 4-for-5 from the stripe. She notched nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
For NCCU, Morgan Jones led with 14 points going 4-for-14 from the floor. Tisha Dixon posted a game-high 14 rebounds, adding seven points and two blocks.
As a team, Campbell shot 22-for-61 from the floor, going 4-for-15 from three, and was 17-of-25 from the free throw line. The Lady Camels posted 45 rebounds, 17 assists, eight steals, and seven blocks.
NCCU was 18-for-55 from the floor on 8-for-19 shooting beyond the arc and 16-of-24 from the stripe. The Eagles registered 40 rebounds, 12 assists, nine steals, and five blocks.
After an Eagle layup and a Juli Osborne free throw, Price hit a three with 3:33 remaining, giving CU a 55-51 lead. Following another NCCU layup, Price hit her second three in a row, widening the Lady Camel lead to 58-53, and the Lady Camels preserved the lead for the remainder of the game.
Campbell rounded out the game on a 7-2 run, including three Price free throws, to take its second win of the season, 65-60.
The Eagles were in early foul trouble with five before the first media timeout, as Raquel Davis and Nikki Works, the Eagles' starting post players, were each whistled for two.
The Lady Camels used the opportunity to open the game 7-3 at 18:18, including a three from Gaines, and two free throws apiece from sophomore Amanda Coffer and Osborne.
Campbell went up by seven, 16-9, in the first half with another Gaines three at the 13:06 mark before a 13-3 run put the Lady Camels up 31-18 with 4:23 to go before the break. Gaines notched five points in the sprint, while Coffer added four and redshirt junior RaeChaun Edwards and freshman MaKala Rouse each netted two.
Five Eagle free throws halted the Campbell run as NCCU trailed 33-21 with under four minutes remaining in the half.
Four Price free throws in a row and a Qua Brown layup, with two Davis free throws in between, put the Lady Camels ahead by 12, 37-25, with just over a minute to go, and the score held to halftime.
NCCU opened the second half on a 10-3 jump on the back of two Tia Clement threes, closing the Campbell lead to 39-35 before the first media timeout of the half.
The Eagles took their first lead of the game, 41-39 with 14:28 to go, tacking on two more threes, this time both from Works. A pair of free throws from Davis put NCCU ahead 43-39 before Coffer broke the Camel drought with a layup, closing the Eagle lead to 43-41 with 13:31 remaining.
A free throw by Davis at the 12:45 mark was the last point for either team until 9:21 was left and Gaines put in a layup to put the Lady Camels within one, 44-43.
After the teams traded baskets, an Osborne layup evened the score at 49 with just under eight minutes to go.
Campbell regained the lead after Edwards recorded a steal and passed it off to Gaines for the fast break layup to lead 51-49 with 5:52 to play.
Campbell takes on UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. Wednesday in its first road test of the season. The Lady Camels round out the week hosting Mount St. Mary's in a 7 p.m. tipoff Friday in Gore Arena.
