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CONWAY, S.C. --- Campbell led by as many as 26 before winning its Big South Conference opener 83-70 at Coastal Carolina on Tuesday afternoon. RaeChaun Edwards led the Lady Camels (4-2, 1-0 BSC) with 21 points.
Sarah Smith shattered her previous career-high with 19 points off the bench. Amanda Coffer tallied 13 points with three blocks while Summer Price scored 11 with a game-high seven rebounds. MaKala Rouse had seven points with five rebounds and three steals while Bria Emanuel had a career-high six points. Edwards and Rouse also dished out five assists each.
With the win, Campbell moves to 10-1 all-time in Big South Conference openers. CU matched a season-high 51 percent shooting from the field (26-for-51) with a 42.9 percent clip from behind the arc (3-for-7). The Lady Camels' 83 points was also a season high and 13 points was their largest margin of victory this season.
After holding an eight-point lead at halftime, Campbell used an 11-0 run over four minutes to take a 56-36 advantage with 2:36 to play in the third. Coastal Carolina's (3-4, 0-1) Ced Gibson stopped the bleeding with a short jumper but a Smith layup a minute later pushed the CU advantage to 58-38 with 1:40 on the clock.
Gibson nailed a three to cut the deficit to 17 but Emanuel hit a driving layup in the waning seconds of the third to send CU to the fourth with a 61-42 lead. The Lady Camels out-scored the Chanticleers 27-16 in the third period.
A quick 4-0 spurt capped by an Edwards jumper gave CU its largest lead of the game at 75-49 with five minutes remaining. However, the Chanticleers answered with a 19-2 run and trailed 79-70 with one minute to play. Following a Campbell timeout, Jessica Pone nailed a pair of free throws to push CU's advantage back to double-digits at 81-70 with 49 seconds to play.
Gibson tried to keep the Chanticleers' hopes alive but her three on the other end couldn't fall. Price and Edwards each hit a free throw in the final seconds of the game as the Lady Camels claimed the 13-point win.
Isaacs finished with a game-high 32 points with the help of nine three pointers. Gibson tallied 24 points while Rachel Gregory finished with 10. Isaacs, Gregory and Alexis Robinson each pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
CCU jumped out to an early 8-1 lead on a three pointer by Isaacs five minutes into the contest. Campbell responded with a 12-5 run and tied the game at 13-13 after a pair of free throws by Smith. An Emanuel free throw gave the Lady Camels their first lead of the game and another free throw broke a 15-15 tie and gave CU a 16-15 lead after the first period.
After an early three by the Chanticleers in the second, Campbell held Coastal scoreless for nearly four minutes and took a 24-18 lead with 7:19 to play before halftime. Isaacs nailed a trey to break up the scoring drought, but a three by Price with just over a minute to play in the second gave CU its first double-digit advantage at 33-23. A Rouse free throw and an Isaacs three in the final minute of the second sent the Lady Camels into the halftime locker room with a 34-26 advantage.
Following a break for final exams, Campbell will be back in action against Western Carolina on Monday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. inside Gore Arena.
