Wilmington, NC - Cape Fear women's basketball picked up its 20th win of the season, defeating Denmark Technical College, 68-57. Destiny Campbell led the team with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Taylor Foulks finished with a double double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The first quarter was evenly played for the most part, with the Sea Devils leading throughout. Campbell got off to a strong start, scoring eight points on 4-6 shooting. Her strong quarter was cut short, however, as she picked up her second foul with three minutes remaining in the first.
Late in the quarter, Cape Fear built on its lead, using a 9-0 run in the final three minutes of the first to take a 21-7 lead. They scored primarily in transition, but moved the ball well when in the half court to create open looks.
Foulks was a beast on the boards in the first, grabbing six offensive rebounds and 9 total.
Both teams struggled to score for most of the second, however. While the Panthers started on a 4-0 run in the first minute, they wouldn't score again for four minutes. The Sea Devils struggled as well, and wouldn't score their first points of the quarter until Christina Caesar finished a layup with seven and a half minutes remaining.
Despite their poor shooting, Cape Fear maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second. Much like the first, they ended the quarter on a run, capped off by an And-1 finish from Foulks, who grabbed an offensive rebound over two Panthers, and scored over them. They'd head into the break leading 40-19.
Cape Fear maintained its lead in the third quarter, but Denmark managed to cut into it, knocking down two 3-pointers in a row to make it an 11 point game. The Sea Devils responded, finishing the quarter on a 7-2 run.
They continued their run at the start of the fourth quarter, scoring four points in the first minute, extending their lead back near 20. Denmark made one last attempt to come back, scoring six straight to cut CFCC's lead to 13 with under four minutes remaining. But their run stalled soon after, and the Sea Devils were able to hold on for the win.
The story tonight was defense and turnovers. The Sea Devils posted one of their better defensive efforts of the season, holding the Panthers to just 28.4 percent shooting. Denmark also committed 32 turnovers, which led to 25 points off them for Cape Fear. The Sea Devils got most of their points from inside, scoring 52 points in the paint.
Despite the win, the Sea Devils played sluggish at times, which head coach Lori Drake attributed to the amount of time off.
"We had almost a week off, which plays a really really big role in the way we come out and perform. Even though we had practice in between that time, the biggest thing I'm trying to work with my kids on, and I've said it all season, is consistency, of being able to take practices and bring them into games."
While she understands what a long layover can do, she was expecting a better performance, but in the end, is happy her team got the win.
"Coming off of a big win last Saturday against Louisburg I was expecting a little bit more, but we know what time of the year it is, and it's always a tough one. But it's a win, and we got 20 [wins on the season], and we're pretty excited about that."
The win improves Cape Fear to 20-4 on the season. Their next game is Sunday, February 19th, where they will take on Clinton Junior College at home at 2:00 p.m.
Courtesy of Nick Denning