Freshman center Malaya Johnson scored 22 points as the Elon University women’s basketball team rolled past the Campbell University Camels, 77-51.
Johnson was hot from all over the court, shooting 83 percent from the field and 66 percent from the free throw line. Senior guard Zora Stephenson also contributed to the effort with 17 points and two steals herself, while sophomore guard Essence Baucom led the team with five assists.
Elon shot only 25 percent from three-point range in the first half, but improved to 50 percent in the second half. Stephenson made five shots from beyond the arc, and sophomore guard Lauren Brown made three to put the Camels away late in the game.
The Phoenix bench allotted for 20 of the team’s points, with Brown scoring 11 and senior center Shannen Cochraham finishing with five.
Elon took the lead with 18:55 remaining in the first half and held it for the rest of the game. They led by as many as 28 points in the second half and went into halftime leading 39-24.
The Phoenix outscored Campbell in the paint 36-26, and held the Camels to 15 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Campbell struggled on offense, shooting a mere 29 percent from the field in the first half. The Camels was also unable to find a rhythm from three-point range, finishing with just 15 percent of their shots good from beyond the arc.
Elon travels to Myrtle Beach, SC. on Dec. 21 to face the sixth ranked North Carolina Tar Heels at 3 p.m.