BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Chris Clemons scored 33 points and Campbell defeated Winthrop 88-77 Saturday at Gore Arena.

In a rematch of last year's Big South final, the Camels (7-8, 1-2) hit 58 percent of their shots and knocked down 31-of-37 free throws to hand the defending champs their second-straight loss. 
 
Marcus Burk hit 4-of-7 threes in a 17-point effort and Mogga Lado came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points, including 10-of-12 from the line, as the Camels ended a two-game losing streak.
 
Xavier Cooks led Winthrop (7-7, 1-2) with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists before fouling out with 50 seconds to play.  Bjorn Broman added 14 points, Adam Pickett 12 and Josh Ferguson 10 for the Eagles, who shot 43 percent from the floor and connected on 20-of-26 from the line.
 
Clemons moved into third place past Johnny Marshbanks (1723 points from 1965-69) on Campbell's all-time scoring list and now has 1745 in 78 career games). He extended his NCAA Division I-leading streak of double-figure scoring games to 63 and produced his school-record 12th career 30-plus point outing.
 
Bjorn Broman's 3 brought Winthrop within 55-51 with 14:56 to play, but the Eagles could get no closer.  Winthrop went 7:01 of the second half without a field goal (0-for-7 during the stretch) and the Camels pushed the margin back to double figures (66-56) on Lado's free throws with 7:52 to play and Winthrop never drew closer than  nine the rest of the way.
 
In its highest-scoring half since a 50-point effort in the final stanza Nov. 26 against USC Upstate, Campbell led 50-38 at half-time after Clemons banked in a three just before the buzzer. The Camels hit 16-of-24 (67 percent) from the floor, including 4-of-9 threes, in the opening period while making all 14 of their foul shots.
 
Cooks' lay-in gave Winthrop a 14-13 lead with 13:48 left in the opening half, but Ja'Cor Nelson's stick back gave the Camels a 15-14 edge they never relinquished with 12:37 remaining.  Campbell stayed in front of the defending champs for almost 35 minutes and converted 10 Winthrop turnovers into 19 points.
 
The nation's 10th-leading scorer, Clemons added three assists and three steals while hitting 9-of-12 from the floor (2-of-5 from 3-point range) and 13-of-15 from the line.
 
Campbell returns to action Tuesday in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Presbyterian.