BUIES CREEK, N.C. – UNC Asheville closed the game on a 16-2 run to post a 60-54 comeback win over Campbell Wednesday night at Gore Arena.
 
In the Big South opener for both teams, Campbell (7-5, 0-1) led 52-44 after Jesus Carralero's backdoor layup with 5:30 to play.
 
However, Tajion Jones hit a wing three on the next possession to start the decisive run for Asheville (9-5, 1-0), which won its third-straight game.
 
Jones led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while LJ Thorpe added 14, plus 8 rebounds and six assists.  Six-foot-10 forward Drew Pember added 9 points, 9 rebounds and a career-high 8 blocked shots.
 
Pember recorded six blocks in the final 3:22 as Campbell – which outscored Asheville 38-30 in the paint – missed 12 of its last 13 shots.
 
Ricky Clemons led Campbell with 15 points, plus seven rebounds.  Carralero added 14 and 4 assists, while Messiah Thompson came off the bench to score 10.  Cedric Henderson, Jr., pulled down a team-leading 9 rebounds for the Camels, who committed just six turnovers on the night.
 
Asheville shot 47 percent (24-51) from the floor, made 7-of-14 threes and 5-of-8 from the line.  Campbell out-rebounded the Bulldogs 35-31, but shot just 34 percent in the second half, 40 percent (24-60) overall, while making 2-of-12 triples (.167) and 4-of-7 free throws.
 
UNC Asheville jumped to a 19-9 lead on Jones' corner three with 11:28 left in the opening half, but the Camels responded with a 13-3 burst as the Bulldogs missed eight of their next nine shots.
 
The Bulldogs hit 5-of-9 beyond the arc in the opening half and led 33-30 at the break.  Both teams made 13-of-28 shots (.464) overall in the first period, but the Camels made just 1-of-5 threes.  Clemons scored 10 first-half points on 4-of-6 shooting.
 
Notes:

• Campbell has held all 12 of its opponents below 70 points and ranks first in the Big South in scoring defense (59.6).
• Campbell was chosen as the North Division favorite in the Big South preseason poll, while Asheville was picked to finish 2nd in the South Division.

• UNC Asheville entered Wednesday's game ranked 14th in the nation in blocked shots (5.8) and finished with a season-high nine rejections.