MIAMI, Fla. – Led by freshmen Lauren Carter and Luana Serranho's 10 points, the Campbell women's basketball team outlasted a late offensive surge from FIU to win the FIU Thanksgiving Tournament championship game, 59-54, on Sunday afternoon.
Campbell made three of their first five from beyond the arc to open the fourth quarter with a 51-39 lead and led by as many as 14, but the Panthers rallied on a 13-4 run capped by Kylee O'Hara's free throw with 46 seconds remaining to pull within three, 56-53.
Between Hayley Barber and Serranho, the Camels shot four free throws over the final 46 seconds, sinking three, while FIU could only muster one more point at the charity stripe, resulting in the 59-54 final decision.
The Camels are 5-1 and the Panthers fell to 1-6 with the setback.
Carter and Serranho were joined by fellow freshman Shy Tuelle's nine points to lead the Campbell offense, combining for 29 total points. Taya Bolden and Caroline Bowns added eight points apiece, while Bolden posted eight boards. Ashlyn Hampton also pulled down a season-high eight rebounds.
The Camels fell behind 9-2 early, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Carter sparked a 7-0 Campbell run to tie the score at nine apiece at the first media timeout with 4:30 on the clock. Over the final four minutes of the first quarter, the Panthers scored just once on a three-pointer, as the Camels pushed their run to 11-3, heading into the first break with a 13-12 lead.
FIU held a 21-17 advantage at the 5:03 media timeout midway through the second quarter; however, the Camels closed out the period on an 8-1 run to carry a 25-22 margin at the break.
After shooting 0-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half, Bolden hit Campbell's first three-pointer at the 6:50 mark in the third quarter, which forced FIU to call a timeout. Tuelle followed with her first trifecta and then preceded to score four more points to lead Campbell with seven points in the third period. The Camels led by as many 11 (41-30, 3:32) before heading into the final period with an eight-point advantage, 42-34.
The Camels outrebounded the Panthers 45-40, which included a 12-6 advantage in offensive boards. Campbell also finished with a 25-5 advantage in bench points.
Carter and Bolden were named to the all-tournament team, while Bolden was recognized as the tournament MVP.
Next up, Campbell will return home to host UNC Greensboro on Wednesday, Nov. 28, for a 7 p.m. tip-off, which kicks off a three-game home stand for the Camels.
