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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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Olivia Tucker contributed 16 points with four three-pointers, and
Jasmine Felton tallied nine points and five rebounds.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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