BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Campbell women's basketball capped off another incredible season under the direction of head coach Ronny Fisher.
After being voted to finish eighth in the CAA Preseason Poll, Campbell finished 22-13 overall and 12-6 in the CAA, finishing third in the conference standings and earning a double-bye for the CAA Championship. The Camels finished as runners-up in the CAA tournament and went on to secure the program's first win in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).
FIRST WIN IN THE WNIT
The Fighting Camels came back from down eight to open the fourth quarter to defeat Coastal Carolina, 57-55, in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. It marks the program's first win in the postseason tournament and just the third win in a postseason tourney overall after Fisher led the Camels to two wins in the Women's Basketball Invitational in 2019.
FEELING 22
Campbell won 22 games this season, tied for the second-most in program history. It marks the fifth time in nine seasons under Coach Fisher that the Camels have won 20 or more games. CU surpassed its overall win total (17) and CAA win total (9) from last season. Five of Campbell's 12 CAA wins were by 20 or more points including a 30-point win over Hampton and a 40-point win over Northeastern.
ALL-CAA HONORS
Five Camels earned All-CAA honors for their performance during the regular season and at the CAA Championship. Gemma Nunez was named to the All-CAA Second Team, All-Defensive Team and the All-Tournament Team. Gianni Boone earned All-CAA Third Team honors while freshmen Ciara Alexander and Jasmine Felton were selected to the All-Rookie Team. Courtney Dahlquist picked up All-Tournament honors for her performances at the CAA Championship.
FOUR CAMELS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
Courtney Dahlquist, Hadleigh Dill, Audrey Fuller and Jessica Woods were named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators. Campbell is the only program in the CAA have four honorees. It marked the first time Dahlquist, Dill and Woods received AAD honors and the third for Fuller, marking a program record.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
Several Camels set new season and career records this season. Gemma Nunez set the single-season assist record, dishing out 217 assists on the season. Courtney Dahlquist finished the season ranked third for threes made in a season with 72. Audrey Fuller wrapped up her career tied for the fourth-most career games played at 123.
CARDIAC CAMELS
Campbell came from behind and won six games this season when trailing entering the fourth quarter, including two games when it trailed by double-digits. The Camels trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half and erased a 13-point deficit to start the fourth quarter in a 71-67 overtime win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 27. Campbell erased a 13-point deficit with 6:13 remaining to defeat Towson in CAA play on Feb. 28. Both wins are tied for the second-largest 4Q comeback in program history (15 pts at High Point, 2019-20). Campbell picked up its final win of the season by erasing an eight-point deficit to begin the fourth quarter in its WNIT first round win at Coastal Carolina.
HOME, SWEET HOME
Campbell posted a 12-2 record in home games this season, tied for the fifth-best mark in program Division-I history (since 1986-87). The Camels outscored foes by 18.0 points at Gore Arena, shooting 42.8 percent from the field while holding foes to 35.9 percent shooting
Opposing teams averaged 18.6 turnovers and were outscored 259-160 overall in the fourth quarter.
Campbell's 10-0 start at home this season matched the longest undefeated streak in the Ronny Fisher era along with the 2019-20 Big South regular season champion Camels who also started 10-0 and finished 12-2 at home. The Camels won four CAA home games by 20 or more points including a 40-point win (81-41) over Northeastern and a 30-point win (72-42) over Hampton.
MULTIPLE 20-PLUS POINT SCORERS
Four different Camels - Olivia Tucker, Courtney Dahlquist, Gianni Boone and Ciara Alexander - scored 20 points or more in a game during the season.
Tucker dropped 20-plus points in back-to-back games, scoring 24 (the most by a Camel this season) against ETSU and followed it up by scoring 20 at Miami. Tucker went on to receive CAA Player of the Week honors for her scoring performances.
Dahlquist dropped 20-plus points in consecutive games during CAA play, scoring a career-high 21 points against Stony Brook and pouring in 20 points behind a career-best 6 three-pointers against Monmouth.
Campbell's leading scorer, Gianni Boone, posted three 20-plus point outings. Boone scored 21 points against both Western Carolina and Stony Brook and dropped 20 points and added 10 boards against UNCW.
Boone and Dahlquist became the first CU duo to each have 20 or more points in a game since Shy Tuelle (21) and Caroline Bowns (20) accomplished the feat against Hampton on March 14, 2019.
Alexander became the latest Camel to score 20 points in a game, notching a career-best 20 points in 24 minutes off the bench against Northeastern. A freshman, Alexander made 7-of-11 field goals and went 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.
TOP TRIO OF FRESHMEN
Campbell boasted the best trio of freshmen in the CAA this season in Olivia Tucker, Jasmine Felton and Ciara Alexander. All three rookies earned CAA weekly honors multiple times throughout the season.
Tucker remained one of the top scoring options for the Camels off the bench, averaging 7.9 points and 1.0 steals. A native of nearby Durham, N.C., Tucker scored in double-figures 12 times and posted multiple steals 10 times. She was named CAA Player and Rookie of the Week once.
A three-time CAA Rookie of the Week, Jasmine Felton averaged 8.7 points along with 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and a team-high 5.5 boards. Felton shot a team-high 52.0 percent from the field. Excluding games against non-Division I teams, Felton made 67.4 percent (89-of-132) of her two-pointers, a mark that ranks fourth in the country.
Despite averaging just 15.3 minutes off the bench, Ciara Alexander averaged 8.5 points along with 4.7 rebounds. Alexander scored in double-figures in 10 of 18 CAA games and was named CAA Rookie of the Week twice.
HALF-COURT HEAVE TO OPEN THE SEASON
Emerson Thompson opened the 2024-25 season by draining a shot from half-court to end the third quarter in the team's season opening win over Mount Olive.
BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL - COURTNEY & CARLA DAHLQUIST #PLAY4KAY
TELLING HER STORY - JESSICA WOODS
Sophomore guard
Jessica Woods was told her story as part of Black History Month. The full video can be viewed below:
SENIOR CLASS
Seniors
Audrey Fuller and
Courtney Dahlquist won 78 games and helped the Camels to two WNIT appearances during their time with the team. Dahlquist is set to graduate with a degree in nursing and has already accepted a job at Ruby Memorial Hospital, part of West Virginia University Medicine, as a nurse in the surgical intensive care unit. Fuller plans to go back home to Australia to play a season of semi-pro basketball with her former home team, the Brisbane Capitals in the NBL1 league. She will return to Campbell next season as a graduate assistant while she completes her MBA.
