BUIES CREEK, N.C. – UNCW women's basketball had four players score in double figures, but the Seahawks went cold in the third quarter as they suffered a 68-55 setback against Campbell in CAA action at Gilbert Craig Gore Arena on Friday night.

With the loss, UNCW falls to 8-9 and 2-2 in the CAA, while Campbell avenges its six-point loss to the Seahawks from earlier this season to remain unbeaten at home to improve to 9-7 and 2-2 in conference play. 

Graduate transfers Jania Hall and Ali Zelaya paced the Seahawks with 15 points. Kate Hollifield added 12 points with four three-pointers on six attempts, while Evan Miller finished with 11 points.

Campbell exploded out of the gate, knocking down six of their first eight shots, and held a 13-7 lead at the first media timeout with 4:07 left in the opening quarter. Miller scored all seven up to that point for the Seahawks. Campbell increased the lead to 16-7, prompting Head Coach Nicole Woods to call a quick timeout. UNCW responded with a late 5-0 surge to finish the quarter strong as Hollifield knocked down a corner three, while Zelaya made a layup to cut the deficit to 16-12.

The second quarter was action-packed and featured multiple momentum swings. Zelaya opened the second quarter with eight consecutive points for UNCW, including a pair of three-point plays to tie the game at 22 with 7:17 left in the first half. After calling a timeout to regroup, The Camels responded with an 8-2 run to regain a 30-24 lead with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Moments later, The Seahawks cut the deficit to 30-29 with a 5-0 run over the next minute, highlighted by a driving layup from Hall and another corner three from Hollifield. However, the Seahawks' momentum was short-lived as Campbell ended the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 36-29 lead into the break. After 20 minutes of play, The Camels held UNCW to 35% from the field while shooting 57%. Campbell also had a 26-18 edge in points in the paint. Zelaya led the Seahawks in the first half with 12 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor.

UNCW struggled to score during the third quarter, registering only 10 points on 16 shots. Hall reached double figures in the contest, scoring seven points in the quarter. Campbell remained red-hot offensively, building the lead to 54-39 at the end of the third quarter. 

The Seahawks continued to fight hard in the fourth quarter and finished the game on a 9-1 run, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Gianni Boone led Campbell with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Camels continued to controlled the interior in the second half. On the night, the Camels outscored the Seahawks in the paint, 54-30.

UP NEXT 

UNCW returns to Trask Coliseum on Sunday to host Monmouth on Greek Night at 1 p.m. Monmouth leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Hawks defeated the Seahawks a season ago in West Long Branch, N.J., 65-53.