Nov. 18, 2009

Final Stats

DURHAM, N.C. - Freshman Joanna Miller put on her best performance of the season with a game-high 22 points to lead a North Carolina Central University (0-3) second half rally that was cut short, as the Lady Eagles fell to Campbell University (2-1), 79-63, Wednesday night in their home-opener at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

Miller, who earned the first start of her career, shot 9-for-23 from the floor and 4-for-13 from behind the arc. She scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half, leading a rally that would cut a 26-point deficit to two. Latoya Bennett continued her successful senior campaign with her second consecutive double-digit scoring outing with 12 points to go along with six rebounds.

For the first time this season, the Lady Eagles managed to out-rebound their opponent, 36-35, dominating on the offensive glass with 15 offensive boards. Brittany Myatt led the Lady Eagles' successful rebounding game with a game-high seven boards. NCCU outscored Campbell in the paint, 34-30.

Defensively, the Lady Eagles had 12 steals and four blocks, dominating on the defensive end. NCCU forced 18 turnovers and held the Lady Camels to below 50 percent from the field and from long range. Unfortunately, the Lady Camels managed to capitalize on their opportunities at the charity stripe, shooting 77.8 percent.

Contributing to the Lady Eagles' defensive efforts was freshman J'Mia Pollock with a game-high three blocks and Miller with three steals. Miller was also NCCU's assists leader with five.

Campbell jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before a layup by Bennett put the Lady Eagles on the board. A 3-pointer by Shanise Blanks at the 16:14 mark tied the game at 9-9, but that was the only tie the game would see and the closest NCCU would come to a lead, unable to take the lead in the entire game.

Following a 9-9 tie, the Lady Eagles managed to stay within striking distance for four minutes until the Lady Camels began to pull away. At the 7:58 mark, Campbell started to take control, going on a 19-2 run that gave them a 26-point lead with 1:01 left in the half. Miller hit a shot with 00:07 left to cut the deficit to 24 going into halftime. The Lady Eagles were down, 44-20, at intermission.

The second half was a different story for the Lady Eagles who looked like a different team. Coming out of halftime, the Lady Eagles went on a 5-0 run and continued to chip away at the lead. A layup by Myatt at the 13:31 mark sparked an 18-6 run that cut the deficit to two with 7:37 on the clock, putting the Lady Eagles within striking distance.

Campbell refused to give up, battling to keep the lead. The Lady Camels and the Lady Eagles switched places. The Lady Eagles, who were hitting their shots at the start of the second half, started to miss their shots like the Lady Camels were doing in the start of the second half. Campbell went on a 12-1 run to push their lead to 13 with 3:26 left in regulation.

Blaire Houston hit a jumper from the top of the key to close the gap at 11, but Campbell wouldn't quit. The Lady Camels scored the last 8-of-11 points to close out the game at 79-63. Miller hit a 3-pointer right before the buzzer to get her above 20 in the scoring category.

Campbell outscored NCCU off the bench, 31-7, and forced 23 turnovers. They were led on offense by a trio of shooters that recorded double-digit scoring. Kate Cloxton, the Lady Camels' sharpshooter, scored a team-high 17 points with 15 coming from behind the arc. Senior Lauren Yesh added 14, while Geami Britt collected 13.

Amanda O'Neill and Jazmine Cooper hit the boards for Campbell with five rebounds apiece. Defensively, Campbell tallied three blocks and 10 steals. The Lady Camels held NCCU to a 43.9 percent shooting performance and a 26.3 percentage from behind the arc.

Campbell improved to 2-1 on the season, while NCCU dropped to 0-3 on the season. The Lady Eagles will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 22 when they return to the confines of McDougald-McLendon Gym to host the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb University at 3 p.m.

For more information on Lady Eagles basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.