Winning afternoon at Campbell includes $10,000 putt

by Dunn Area Sports Staff | Feb 11, 2019 | Articles, Campbell, News & Features

Chris Clemons contributed 32 points in the Campbell men’s win.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

BUIES CREEK — Chris Clemons and Ja’Cor Nelson combined for 50 points and Campbell shot 59 percent from the floor Saturday in an 82-66 Big South Conference men’s basketball win over USC Upstate at Gore Arena.

The Campbell women opened the doubleheader by topping UNC Asheville, 49-48, on Taya Bolden’s basket at the buzzer.

Jonathan Larson won $10,000 by making a lengthy putt across the arena floor in a promotion sponsored by Keith Hills at the break after the first quarter in the women’s game.

Clemons scored 23 of his game-high 32 points in the first half and Nelson added 18 – his largest output against a Big South opponent for the Camels (14-10, 7-3), who won their sixth in the last eight outings. Andrew Eudy deal seven assists, while Nelson had 5 for Campbell, which led by 17 at the break and by as many as 23 in the final period.

Malik Moore led USC Upstate (6-20, 1-10) with 16 points and eight rebounds. Dalvin White and Everette Hammond added nine apiece for the Spartans, who have dropped 11 of their last 12 outings.

The nation’s leading scorer (29.0), Clemons moved into 11th place on the NCAA Division I all-time points list and now has 2930 in 121 career outings. He enters Wednesday’s game against Hampton 21 shy of 10th place, held by Danny Manning of Kansas (2951 from 1984-88).

Clemons hit 12-of-14 from the line, 4-of-10 threes and pulled down a team-leading 5 rebounds for the Camels, who made 22-of-27 (.815) from the stripe as a team. Clemons hit 6-of-8 his first 8 shots and scored 21 of CU’s first 31 points to extend his double-figure scoring streak to 106 games.

A sophomore guard, Nelson posted his sixth double-figure outing of the year and made 6-of-7 from the floor, plus 6-of-9 from the stripe.

Campbell shot 64 percent from the floor in the opening half, used a 12-3 burst to open a double-digit advantage and led by at least 10 for the final 35:02 of the game.

Upstate, which shot 43 percent for the game, trimmed the gap to 62-49 on Ross Ryan’s stick back with 12:06 to play, but could get no closer.

Campbell improved to 8-3 at home overall, 4-1 at Gore Arena vs. Big South foes, while Upstate dropped to 1-11 in true road games, 0-6 at Big South opponents.

The Camels host Hampton on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Bolden beats buzzer

Trailing UNC Asheville by one with 1.9 seconds remaining, Campbell’s Hayley Barber found Taya Bolden open under the basket for the game-winning lay-in to lift CU over the Bulldogs 49-48 on Saturday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader.

Asheville led 47-45 with 1:22 to go, but at the 21-second mark, Barber hit a jumper to tie the score at 47.

Asheville’s Nadiria Evans forced a Campbell foul but she missed the first free throw before making the second, earning the Bulldogs a one-point advantage. CU coach Ronny Fisher called a timeout, advancing the ball, where Barber’s inbound pass found Bolden for the game-winning layup.

Barber led all scorers with 14 points, seven of which came in the fourth period. She also dished out a game-high six assists. Shy Tuelle scored 11 points in Campbell’s 16-point third quarter, finishing the day with 13 and a team-high six rebounds.

Bolden notched eight points with five boards, while Lauren Carter posted seven points.

The win was the first for Campbell over UNC Asheville since Feb. 11, 2017, which was also a one-point victory (61-60) for the Camels. Campbell improved to 6-5 in conference play with the win and 14-8 overall, while Asheville dropped to 6-5 and 11-11.

Both teams shot a combined 27 percent in the first half as Asheville went in the break with a 22-21 advantage. In the third quarter, however, both teams shot 43 percent, their best shooting performances of the game.

In that third period, Tuelle hit a jumper on back-to-back possessions to tie the score at 30 apiece at the 5:14 mark, but the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run over the next 3:14 of play to go up 37-30. Another jumper by Tuelle with 2:00 remaining sparked a 7-0 run for the Camels, tying the score at 37 after three complete.

Asheville outrebounded Campbell 46-31 and held the advantage in bench points (22-7). CU forced 10 Asheville turnovers, scoring 12 off their miscues. Campbell’s seven turnovers was the fewest CU has committed all season.

The Lady Camels head to Hampton for a Tuesday night contest scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)

Cory Gensler gets a loose ball on Saturday at Gore Arena.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Jonathan Larson made a putt for $10,000 on Saturday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)[/caption

[caption id="attachment_8504" align="alignleft" width="4478"] The golf ball nears the opening for the $10,000 payoff.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)