BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Senior Summer Leverette scored a career-high 19 points, including 14 in the second half, as Campbell (10-6, 5-2 BSC) fought off a late rally by Gardner-Webb (7-10, 3-5 BSC) for a 75-74 win in its fifth annual Education Day game inside Gore Arena on Tuesday morning.
Leverette was joined in double figures by sophomore Amanda Coffer, who finished with 18, and freshman Summer Price, who extended her streak of games in double figures to four.
With the victory, the Lady Camels maintain their perfect record on Education Day since it began during the 2010-11 season, moving to 5-0 with its first conference victory as part of the event.
The Lady Camels finished 50.0 percent (26-of-52) from the field with identical 13-of-26 marks in each half for their best shooting night since going 34-of-66 (51.5 percent) in the season opener against Pfeiffer.
Gardner-Webb shot just 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) in the opening half before a 16-of-36 (44.4 percent) mark in the second en route to 53 second-half points. Despite outscoring Campbell by 16 in the second half and outrebounding the Lady Camels by 16 for the game, the Runnin' Bulldogs could not come away with the victory.
Olivia Parker of Gardner-Webb led all players with 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Alexus Hill (18), Candace Brown (16) and Jessica Heilig (11) also reached double figures for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Despite falling into a 10-8 hole just over four minutes into the contest, Campbell fired off a 14-0 run over the next five minutes on the strength of six points from Coffer and another five from Price. Redshirt junior RaeChaun Edwards punctuated the run with a three-pointer at the 11:05 mark that gave the Lady Camels a 22-10 advantage.
Gardner-Webb was unable to cut the deficit back to single digits for the remainder of the first half, and the Lady Camels finished the opening frame with six unanswered points, including four more from Price, over the final two minutes to carry a 38-21 lead into the locker room.
Over the first six minutes of the second half, Campbell maintained its double-digit lead, but a 12-4 stretch by the Runnin' Bulldogs cut the advantage to single digits, 54-46, with 11:28 to play.
Another 7-1 run just three minutes later brought Gardner-Webb to within a single possession. Trailing 59-50, a balanced effort by four Runnin' Bulldogs trimmed Campbell's advantage to just three, 60-57, with 7:57 on the clock.
In the final six minutes, Gardner-Webb was able to close the gap to a single point on three occasions, but could not erase Campbell's lead. A layup by Parker made it 67-66 with 5:13 remaining, but Price responded with a three-pointer for the Lady Camels; three minutes later, Gardner-Webb's Hill knocked down a shot from deep, but senior Kiera Gaines followed up with two free throws.
Clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds, Campbell claimed the victory as Mayhana Dunovant could not convert a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Campbell will close out its three-game homestand as Radford travels to Gore Arena on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Lady Camels have won the last four meetings in the series and own a 7-6 advantage in Buies Creek, but the Highlanders hold a 19-10 edge in the overall series. Saturday's game is set to be broadcast on ESPN3.
