BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell used a big second quarter and withstood a late rally from Western Carolina, as the Fighting Camels defeated the Catamounts, 66-54, Wednesday night in Gore Arena.
 
Ciara Alexander had her second big game in a row with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jasmine Felton contributed 14 points with three assists and two steals, and Gianni Boone added eight points off the bench to power the Camel (2-2) offense.
 
The Catamounts (2-1) jumped first out of the gate, building an 8-1 lead in the first two minutes to force an early timeout by CU.
 
After the timeout, Campbell's defense showed its muscle, holding WCU to seven points the rest of the frame. The Catamounts missed their next six shot attempts and finished the quarter 1-for-7 from the field while making two turnovers.
 
The defensive stand continued into the second quarter for the Camels, as the team held WCU to just four total points. Western Carolina committed eight turnovers, and Olivia Tucker forced two steals in the second quarter alone.
 
Campbell, led by Alexander's nine, scored 19 points in the frame and used a 17-0 scoring run across the end of the first and first half of the second to build a 38-19 halftime lead.
 
CU made most of its baskets in close, leading to a 52.9 field goal percentage in the first half with 30 of its 38 points coming in the paint. In contrast, the Camels were 0-5 from three point range through the first 20 minutes.
 
Western Carolina scored the opening bucket of the second half, which the Camels immediately followed with a 10-0 run to extend their lead to 27 with 6:29 to go in the third quarter.
 
The Catamounts attempted a late comeback in the fourth quarter, spurred on by the long ball. The team with 5-of-9 from beyond the arc in the final frame, with two each from Ally Hollifield and Kehinde Obasuyi. WCU also took advantage of Campbell fouls, going 10-of-13 from the free throw line in the frame.
 
With 3:14 to play, Hadleigh Dill made Campbell's first three pointer to push the lead back to double digits. Her second of the quarter came with just 30 seconds remaining, putting the Camels up by 14 to seal the victory.
 
Hollifield led the Catamounts with 17 points, Obasuyi had 11 and Ellie Richardson joined them in double figures with 10.
 
Boone's strong performance in the second quarter propelled her to a team-high plus-15. Tucker had the next highest mark in plus/minus with +12. Tucker's four steals on the night is one off her career high.
 
UP NEXT
Campbell is back on the road to take on Furman this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. The action will be available to stream live on ESPN+.
 
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