Late run gets Phoenix over the hump against Camels

The Elon University women’s basketball team capitalized on clutch plays down the stretch and finished with an impressive 11-0 run that gave them a 56-49 win over Campbell University’s Lady Camels Friday night, Dec. 20, in Alumni Gym.

The tables were turned from last year’s meeting, in which Campbell overcame a nine-point deficit to win by 10, and this time Phoenix came out victorious.

The second half struggles that plagued the Phoenix last Monday against University of Tennessee-Chattanooga were nowhere to be found Friday night as they closed a tough game against the Lady Camels. The game started and remained close in the first half, ending with the two teams tied at 27 at the half. This trend continued into the second half, as neither team was able to pull away during play until the Elon’s defense stepped up during the last four minutes. The Phoenix held the Camels scoreless during the last 4:17 of the game as they went on an 11-0 run spearheaded by back-to-back triples from junior guard Zora Stephenson.

Stephenson lead the Phoenix in scoring with 15 points, while Jenifer Rhodes added 14 off the bench, shooting an impressively efficient 7-9 in only 20 minutes of play. The Camels were led by D’ Janelle Brown’s 17 points (5-11 from three-point range) and three steals, and Kiera Gaines’ 10 points. The Lady Camels offensive efforts were strong, but not enough to top the Phoenix scoring offense.

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The teams battled back and forth and each had the lead throughout the game. As a team, the Phoenix was only 39 percent from the field, but they drained the 24 shots when it mattered.

The real story of the night was the Phoenix defense, which held the Camels to 19-54 shooting for the game. The Phoenix scored 29 points off turnovers and the Lady Camels didn’t capitalize on Elon’s 18 turnovers. The Phoenix had quick hands on defense and forced Campbell to 25 turnovers, which proved to be fateful for the Camels.

The Phoenix improves to 4-6 overall and remains 1-1 in the Southern Conference. The Phoenix brings it back on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. to Alumni Gym to face the Lady Trojans of Mount Olive College.