Wilmington, NC - Led by the first triple double in school history from Destiny Campbell, the Cape Fear women's basketball team defeated Bryant & Stratton College 77-48. Campbell totaled 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 blocks, while TaKwana Bland came an assist short of a triple double, finishing with 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists.
The Bobcats opened the game with a small lead, but five early points from Taylor Foulks helped the Sea Devils take a 10-6 lead midway through the first. Bland then added six of her own, pushing their lead to 9 and giving them momentum.
While Foulks and Bland led the offense, the Sea Devils were solid on defense as well, limiting Bryant & Stratton to just 2-24 shooting in the first quarter.
Destiny Campbell knocked down a jumper as time expired, and the Sea Devils headed into the second quarter leading 19-7.
Cape Fear started the second on a 4-0 run. They continued to play strong defensively, forcing turnovers, and limiting the Bobcats to one shot on each possession. They also blocked a high number of shots, totaling 10 in the first half, which was well over their season average of 7.1 a game.
Bryant & Stratton managed to cut the lead down to 12, but only briefly, as Cape Fear ended the half on a 11-4 run to head into halftime leading 40-21.
The star of the half was Bland, who finished with 18 points 11 rebounds, and five assists. She also found a lot of success from the free throw, making 8-9.
Head coach Lori Drake felt her team's defense was alright for most of the first half, but felt they needed to be better.
"We challenged them. 'Be better defensively,' because when it comes down to [postseason play], it's going to [take] defensive stops."
They accepted that challenge, and looked to put the game away early in the third, scoring seven straight and extending their lead to 26. After a solid first half, Campbell got hot from midrange, knocking down multiple mid-range jumpers from around the free throw line.
The Bobcats struggled to get in rhythm, and continued to turn the ball over. It turned into a dominating quarter, as the the Sea Devils outscored the Bobcats 25-9, which made for a comfortable fourth quarter.
It was a strong defensive effort overall, as they were able to hold the Bobcats to 20.5 percent shooting, and well under the season average of 71.4 points per game.
With the game firmly in hand, the highlight of the fourth was Campbell earning a triple double, and Bland coming just short.
Coach Drake had nothing but praise for both players. For Campbell, it meant history, earning the first triple-double in school history. Drake was ecstatic that she rose to the occasion defensively, recording just one foul in route to 11 blocks.
"Just impressive all the way around. I challenged her to sit down and play [defense] tonight."
Drake also praised Bland's play, calling her "unstoppable", and pointed out that performances like this will help them in tournament play.
The win improves Cape Fear to 23-4 on the season, and 15-2 in conference play.
Their next game is scheduled for Sunday, March 5th, where they will take on Clinton Junior College at home at 12:00 p.m. as part of Sophomore Night.
Courtesy of Nick Denning
