BUIES CREEK, N.C. –
Jay Pal scored a career-high 25 points to lead Campbell to a 67-51 win over Charleston Southern Wednesday night at Gore Arena.
Joshua Lusane added 13 points and
Anthony Dell'Orso 10 for the Camels (12-15, 7-8 Big South), who never trailed and led by as many as 18 down the stretch.
Taje' Kelly led Charleston Southern (8-18, 4-11) with 12 points, but the Bucs shot just 32 percent on the night.
A graduate transfer from Jacksonville State, Pal made 10-of-13 shots (including 3-of-5 threes), pulled down seven rebounds and blocked two shots in 36 minutes. Lusane, who scored 10 of his 13 in the second half, canned 5-of-9 from the floor. Campbell's leading scorer,
Ricky Clemons, finished with seven points – six below his average – but grabbed seven boards and dealt six assists without a turnover in 38 minutes.
The Camels shot 50 percent on the night and made 9-of-20 triples, while matching their season low with only six turnovers. Charleston Southern grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and finished with a 19-9 edge in second-chance points, but made only 2-of-23 beyond the arc.
Campbell extended its win streak over the Bucs to six games and stayed tied with Winthrop for sixth place in the Big South standings. The top six teams in the league earn a bye into the Big South quarterfinals in next month's tournament at Charlotte.
The Camels closed the opening half with a 7-0 run and led 39-28 at the break. Campbell shot 58 percent (15-26) overall and made 5-of-11 threes in the first 20 minutes. Charleston Southern shot just 37 percent before intermission but converted nine offensive rebounds into 10 second-chance points.
Pal passed his previous career high (17 at Presbyterian) in the first half when he had 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, while Dell'Orso added 10 in the opening stanza.
Charleston Southern dropped its fifth-straight game - and 9th in the last 10. The Bucs played without the league's second-leading scorer Claudell Harris Jr., who averages 17.9 points.
The Camels close out their home schedule Saturday with a 2 p.m. start against Presbyterian.
