MIAMI, Fla. – Taya Bolden led 10 Campbell scorers with 12 points and added a career-high 17 rebounds to help earn Campbell the 65-52 victory over Omaha in the first round of the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday afternoon.
The Camels moved to 4-1 after winning their fourth-straight game, while Omaha fell to 1-3 with the loss.
Bolden's double-double performance is her first this season and fifth of her career. Kyra Davis was the other Camel to score in double-figures, posting 13 points after making four of her final five shots, including a 3-of-4 effort from long range.
Caroline Bowns also made three from deep, finishing with nine points, while also dishing out four assists for the second consecutive game.
Ten out of the 12 Camels that saw action scored and nine pulled down at least one rebound. Six dished out over one assist, led by Hayley Barber who tallied a team-high five assists.
After missing their first three shots and falling behind 7-0 to open the game, the Camels stormed back to take the lead at 16-15 following a three by Bowns with 1:03 remaining in the first period. After Shy Tuelle opened the scoring for Campbell with a jumper at the 7:31 mark, the Camels closed out the first quarter by making 7-of-10 from the floor.
Campbell's offense went cold in the second quarter, shooting only 28.6 percent on 4-of-14; however, the Camels made three of their final four shots, which included a trey by Lauren Carter with 28 seconds remaining to take the lead at 26-24. Omaha's Josie Filer responded with her own triple at the buzzer to give the Mavericks the advantage at the half, 27-26.
Just 18 seconds into the third quarter, Carter hit another from beyond the arc, earning CU the 29-27 edge. A lay-up by Omaha's Rayanna Carter at 8:32 tied the score at 29 before Taya Bolden's lay-in sent the lead back in Campbell's favor. The Mavericks would neither tie nor regain the lead for the remainder of the game.
An 18-4 run to open the fourth quarter, which was capped by Bowns' third trifecta, pushed Campbell's lead to 19 points at 64-45 with 3:49 to go. The Mavericks closed out the game on a 7-1 run but it was not enough as the Camels improved to 4-1 through five games for the second-straight season.
Next up, the Camels will face the host FIU Panthers in the tournament championship game. The game, which will be streamed via CUSA.tv ($6.95 24-hour pass), is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off. Fans can also listen to live audio through the Campbell Digital Network.
