Cameron goes off in JBU’s first road win of season
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Sophomore Baily Cameron reasserted herself by scoring 23 of her career-high 33 points in the second half, and the John Brown University women's basketball team shot 63 percent in the second half to fend off a third-quarter, sending the Golden Eagles to a 78-61 win over Philander Smith (Ark.) on Tuesday (Nov. 15) evening inside Mims Gymnasium.
Holding onto a lead that never surpassed seven through the first half, the Golden Eagles (4-1) faced a 6-2 Panther run to open the third quarter, closing the gap to just four, 32-28. JBU responded with a timely 16-1 run. Cameron scored 10 during the fatal rally as the Golden Eagles boasted at one point a 20-point advantage, 59-39.
Cameron's 33-point outburst earned her a tie for fifth all-time in single-game scoring program history, tying her with Carrie Penner's 33-point outing against Arkansas – Monticello in 1994. She finished the contest 12-of-16 from the floor and hit 2-of-3 attempts from behind the three-point line. A 7-of-7 mark from the line joined her 14 boards, completing Cameron's second double-double of the season.
Junior Luize Skrastina stepped up with a season-best 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor while junior Jana Schammel dished out a career-high nine assists and hit three treys, contributing nine points in the 17-point win.
For the game, JBU converted 29-of-54 attempts from the field (53.7 percent) and used a 44-30 rebounding advantage to help offset a 17-7 turnover deficit.
"Tonight was a good win for our first road game," said head coach Jeff Soderquist. "It was great to see the team respond on the road when Philander Smith pulled within four points. Also very proud of Luize (Skrastina) and Rosa (Orpo), they played a lot of minutes with Preslea (Reece) being out."
Fueled by Cameron's output, the Golden Eagles shot an unconscious 63 percent (17-of-27) from the floor in the second half. While the Panthers (1-2) shot a modest 41.2 percent (14-of-34) from the floor, the hosts weren't able to keep up with Cameron or Skrastina's 10 points over the final 20 minutes of play.
Terralyn Dominick scored 30 for Philander Smith in the loss, hitting 10-of-21 from the floor, while Anqunett Chatt added 11 points.
With the first road win under its belt, the Golden Eagles continue its five-match trek on Friday (Nov. 18) in Pt. Lookout, Mo., and will face Indiana Wesleyan in the first day of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.) Classic. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
