ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Campbell women's basketball was able to trim UNC Asheville's lead to one twice in the second half, but was never able to take the lead, falling to the Bulldogs, 60-52, on Saturday afternoon inside Kimmel Arena.
Down by 12 (38-26) with 5:48 to go in the third quarter, the Camels faced their largest deficit of the game; however, Luana Serranho's lay-in just 10 seconds later sparked an 11-0 run, trimming UNCA's lead to one, 38-27. The Bulldogs' leading scorer Sonora Dengokl laid one in with 15 seconds remaining to head into the final period with the 40-37 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, with 7:30 to go, a Shy Tuelle jumper put Campbell within one again, 43-42. Asheville outscored Campbell 12-5 over the next seven minutes of play, going up 57-47 with 45 seconds remaining, which seemed to put the game out of reach.
Tuelle knocked down a three pointer 20 seconds later, cutting the deficit to seven. Campbell retreated to fouling, but Asheville made 3-of-4 at the free-throw line to secure the win. Over the entirety of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs scored on 10-of-13 attempts at the charity stripe.
UNC Asheville picked up its first Big South victory (1-3) and moved to 6-9 overall, while Campbell fell to 2-2 in conference play and 10-5 overall.
For the sixth straight game, Taya Bolden led CU in rebounding, finishing with 10 boards; nine of her rebounds came on the offensive end.
Serranho finished the night with a team-high nine points, scoring seven in the fourth quarter alone. Lauren Carter and Ashlyn Hampton scored eight apiece, while Bolden, Hayley Barber and Caroline Bowns each tallied six points. Asheville's Dengokl led all scorers with 23 points.
Campbell held the advantage in points in the paint (30-28), second chance points (11-10), fast break points (9-7) and bench points (18-15), but UNC Asheville outrebounded the Camels (39-38) and forced more turnovers (18-15).
Up next, the Camels will prepare to host two Big South opponents: Winthrop (Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.) and Hampton (Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.).
