BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Camels fought back from an eight-point second half deficit and closed the game on a 13-0 run to defeat Elon, 62-52, Friday night in Gore Arena.
The win is Campbell's second in a row, improving to 2-1 in CAA play and 9-7 overall. Elon now sits at 6-9 (1-2).
Elon's biggest lead came at the 1:12 mark of the third quarter when a three pointer by Ashanti Fox put her side up, 44-36. Following that shot, the Camels outscored their opponents 26-8 over the final 11+ minutes of the game.
Jasmine Nivar led the Camels with a career-high 24 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter. The reigning CAA Rookie of the Week was 7-of-9 from the free throw line in the final frame.
Olivia Tucker contributed 16 points with four three-pointers, and
Jasmine Felton tallied nine points and five rebounds.
Tucker knocked down two three-pointers in the first quarter, helping the Camels build a 17-10 lead after the first frame. Nivar made a long ball as well and led the team with seven points.
Elon made up ground in the second quarter, taking the lead on a Lanae' Corbett layup with 1:32 left in the frame. She went on to lead her team with 17 points. It was the Phoenix's first lead since the 6:44 mark of the first quarter.
Ciara Alexander answered with a basket of her own and put the Camels up, 26-25, going into halftime. Alexander, Nivar and Tucker combined to score 24 of the Camels' points in the first half.
The momentum continued in favor of Elon for the first part of the third quarter, but Campbell snatched it away in the final minute. The Camels used a 6-0 run to end the frame and cut the deficit to two, 44-42.
The Phoenix maintained a three-point lead through the first half of the fourth quarter, but the team was unable to match Campbell's sustained intensity on both sides of the ball.
Campbell forced the issue on offense, leading to the team entering the bonus at the 5:31 mark with the score 52-49, and Elon did not score the rest of the evening. Defensively, the Camels forced five Elon turnovers in the last five minutes.
A layup by Tucker gave Campbell the lead with 2:26 to play, and CU provided nine insurance points in the final 1:05. In addition to Nivar, Felton and
Emerson Thompson made both of their free throw opportunities in the fourth quarter.
Felton, Nivar and Tucker ended the night with two steals apiece, and
N'na Konate added three blocks and five rebounds in her second consecutive start.
Gianni Boone also recorded a block and added five rebounds of her own.
UP NEXT
The Camels are back in Gore Arena on Sunday afternoon to take on William & Mary in a rematch of last year's CAA Championship game. The action will begin at 2:00 and will be available to watch on FloCollege and on WRAL2 (Raleigh) and MyNetworkTV (Greenville).
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