BUIES CREEK, N.C.-Playing five of its last seven games on the road, including each of its last three, Campbell returns to the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center Saturday, taking on Atlantic Sun rival Belmont at 1 p.m.
The Lady Camels, at 11-8 overall and 6-4 in A-Sun play, are winners of three of their last four, knocking off Stetson, Belmont and Lipscomb before falling at East Tennessee State on Wednesday. Freshman guard Tonisha Baker gathered a team-high 16 points with three assists and a pair of steals in Johnson City, Tenn., while junior forward Lauren Yesh tallied 11 points with three rebounds.
Baker's 16 were the most points scored by the rookie since recording 17 points in a win over Jacksonville on Dec. 19. Yesh has been in double figures in each of her last two games, averaging 13.0 points per game after enduring a stretch of six contests where the Evart, Mich. native posted no more than eight points. Yesh began the year registering double figures in seven of her first 11 games.
Baker leads the Lady Camels in scoring at 10.2 points per game this season, ranking best among A-Sun freshmen. The High Point, N.C. native also boasts a .534 field goal percentage, good for second overall in the league. Baker is the only freshman or guard in the A-Sun's top-10. The freshman guard also ranks 10th in steals per game at 1.68 per game.
Campbell junior guard Courtney Cannon is averaging 15.7 points per game in her last three home contests, collecting 16, 19 and 12 points against Longwood, Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson, respectively. Cannon is averaging 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season.
Belmont (10-9, 5-6 A-Sun), who fell to the Lady Camels 74-67 just last week in Nashville, Tenn., are led by sophomore forward Haley Nelson, who is one of just three players in the A-Sun averaging a double-double at 13.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Nelson tallied 13 points and eight rebounds against CU in the teams' first meeting. Amber Rockwell, a senior guard, led the Bruins with 18 points in that loss and also averages 13.2 points per game this season.
In that Jan. 21 meeting inside the Curb Event Center, Campbell rallied from 13 points down with 14:01 remaining, taking the lead at the 4:24 mark and holding on behind sophomore guard Kate Cloxton, who gathered 20 of her career-high 22 in the second half.
The Lady Camels will face Lipscomb on Monday, Feb. 1 at 5:45 p.m. in Buies Creek.