BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Senior Summer Leverette matched a career-high with 18 points and Campbell used a 19-1 run midway through the second half to down Presbyterian 58-45 in a Big South Conference matchup inside Gore Arena on Tuesday evening.
Campbell improves to 7-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play on the season, while the Blue Hose fall to 6-6 and 1-2 in the Big South.
After shooting just 8-of-27 in the first half, the Lady Camels shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field in the second frame to finish the game 21-of-51 (41.2 percent). Campbell held Presbyterian to just 30.2 percent shooting (16-of-53) in the contest, including a 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) mark from beyond the arc, the lowest mark among Campbell opponents this season.
Leverette's 18 points led all scorers and matched her previous career-high set against Brevard on Dec. 15. She was joined in double figures by senior Kiera Gaines with 13 points.
Sophomore Amanda Coffer had a game-high nine rebounds, and redshirt junior RaeChaun Edwards led all players with five assists.
Janie Miles led Presbyterian with 14 points and Keyonna Allen added 10 to pace the Blue Hose.
After falling behind on an early Presbyterian basket, the Lady Camels held the Blue Hose without a point for just over four minutes while adding six unanswered points of their own. Four points from senior Juli Osborne and a bucket from Leverette keyed the early run for Campbell.
Following a layup by Gaines that made it 10-7 in Campbell's favor at the 13:33 mark, the Blue Hose used a 6-0 run over a nearly five-minute span to reclaim the lead. Aianna Kelly spurred the run with four points and Presbyterian jumped out to a 13-10 lead; Leverette ended the stretch on a layup with just under nine minutes remaining in the half.
Despite another defensive run by Presbyterian that saw Campbell held without a point for nearly six minutes, the Lady Camels rallied over the final two minutes of the half with baskets from Leverette and Edwards to close the gap to just two, 20-18, heading into the halftime break. Campbell had a strong defensive push of its own down the stretch, holding the Blue Hose scoreless over the final 4:14 of the frame.
D Janelle Brown's three-pointer at the 17:44 mark in the second half, Campbell's first from behind the arc on the night, put the Lady Camels back ahead for the first time since leading 10-9 with 13:15 remaining in the first half. Leverette added another less than a minute later to build Campbell's lead to 26-22, matching its largest lead of the contest to that point.
Those baskets would prove to be the beginning of the decisive 19-1 run in the contest. Over the ensuing six minutes, Campbell held Presbyterian without a field goal and got six points from Brown and four from Osborne to pace the run. Presbyterian's Allie Wagner snapped the streak with a pair of free throws at the 11:36 mark, but the Camels emerged with a 39-25 advantage.
The Lady Camels would not allow Presbyterian to close the gap to fewer than 11 the rest of the way. The Blue Hose reached that mark twice in the final two minutes, but a pair of free throws from Gaines each time preserved the double-digit lead.
Campbell will return to action for the first of two road contests on Saturday afternoon at Longwood with the game set for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The Lady Camels hold an 8-4 edge in the all-time series against the Lancers and are on a three-game winning streak in the series dating back to a 62-51 victory on Feb. 2, 2013.
