BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Coming off a gritty 75-74 win at Coastal Carolina Tuesday night, Campbell opens its 2019-20 home schedule Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Central Penn.
 
In a game that included 13 lead changes and nine ties Cory Gensler led the Camels with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, while newcomers Jesús Carralero and Cedric Henderson, Jr., added 15 points apiece.
 
Coastal led by as many as nine in the opening half before the Camels reeled off a 16-4 run and led by 3 at the break. Neither team led by more than 3 in the second period until the Camels grabbed the advantage for good on four free throws by Henderson with 7:24 to play.
 
The Chanticleers cut a six-point Camel lead to just 1 twice in the final 2:47, but CU held Coastal to 0-3 shooting and forced two turnovers down the stretch to seal the victory.
 
Central Penn opened its season with a 71-44 loss Wednesday at Morgan State.  Marqel Wansley led the Knights with 13 points, while Deon Tabb added 11.  Noah Baylor pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for Central Penn, which shot 33 percent from the field and made just 5-of-15 from the line.
 
In a scheduling quirk, both Wednesday's and Friday's games count toward the season records of the Division I Bears and Camels, but are exhibitions for Central Penn.
 
Last year in Buies Creek, Campbell rolled to a 100-53 victory over Central Penn. Chris Clemons (28), Ja'Cor Nelson (21), Trey Spencer (11), Jon Ander Cuadra (11) and Cory Gensler (10) hit double figures for the Camels, who shot 60% from the floor and finished with a 28-6 edge in points off turnovers.  Noah Baylor led the Knights with 18 points and eight rebounds.
 

• CU has won its last 13 home openers, including all 11 since Gore Arena opened in '08-09.
• Campbell has won 11 of its last 14 season openers. all three losses were at "Power 5" members - 2010 at No.-21 Virginia Tech, 2016 at Oklahoma State and 2017 at Penn State.
• The Camels have won their last 16 games against non-Division I opponents.  CU has topped the 100-point barrier four times in those contests and scored 90-plus points on eight other occasions.
• Located in Summerdale, Pa., Central Penn is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) at the Division II level.
• The Knights were 0-5 vs. D1 foes last year, falling at Campbell, Davidson, Elon, Howard and Maryland-Eastern Shore.  Central Penn is also scheduled to play Dec. 29 at Radford.
• Central Penn and Johnson & Wales (Dec. 21) are the lone non-Division I opponents on the 2019-20 Campbell schedule.
• Following Friday's game, the Camels hit the road for contests at UNC Wilmington (Nov. 12) and The Citadel (Nov. 16).