Buies Creek, N.C. – Ally Hollifield's third 3-pointer of the night clawed Westen Carolina back to within single-digits inside the final four minutes of regulation on Wednesday night, but was not enough to overcome the second-half deficit as Campbell held off Catamount women's basketball 66-54 at the on-campus Gore Arena.
WCU stumbled for the first time in 2025-26, dropping to 2-1 after their first road contest of the year. The Fighting Camels pick up their second straight victory to move to 2-2 and 2-0 at home.
Spurred by a game-opening 3-pointer by Ellie Richardson, a strong start allowed the Catamounts to race to the early seven-point lead. However, Campbell found its footing in the latter stages of the opening 10 minute period and took the lead for what proved to be for good inside the final minute of the opening frame.
WCU then struggled through a four-point second quarter that gave Campbell the cushion it would nurse the remainder of the game. The home squad rode a 15-0 run from the final minute of the first quarter through the midpoint of the second to build a lead it would never relinquish. Down a game-high 27 points, the Catamounts outscored Campbell 28-to-10 into the fourth quarter before running out of time and steam.
Hollifield led the Catamounts offensively with 17 points, with backcourt teammate Kehinde Obasuyi scoring 11 and Richardson chipping in 10 to round out the trio of Catamounts in double figures. Hollifield also posted three steals, while Ary Dizon and Joyce Mulumba were tied for the team lead with five rebounds.
Campbell's Ciara Alexander tied Hollifield for the game high n points at 17 and posted five rebounds for the Camels. Jasmine Felton and Olivia Tucker recorded 14 and 10 points apiece, with Tucker and Gianni Boone tying Alexander for the team lead in boards.
All told, 10 Catamounts saw action in the road matchup, with Riley Price making her Catamount debut in the second quarter. Seven of those 10 recorded at least one point, with four scoring eight or more.
How it Happened:
WCU opened the night with a strong pace as Ellie Richardson and Ally Hollifield both connected on deep shots to give the Catamounts an 8-1 lead and force an early timeout by the home team. The Camels rallied following the stoppage, though, outscoring the Catamounts 18-7 the remainder of the quarter to take a 19-15 lead into the second.
Campbell scored the first 11 of the second quarter, leaping out to a 30-15 advantage before a pair of free throws from Hollifield broke the Camel scoring run. Dizon got on the scoresheet with a layup with 3:44 to go in the half, but Campbell scored the final four points of the frame to command a 38-19 lead at the break.
The Catamount deficit grew to as much as 27 in the third quarter following a jumper from Jasmine Felton, before a 10-2 WCU spurt shrunk the deficit to 19. Kehinde Obasuyi hit a pair of free throws late in the frame, but Peris Smith built Campbell's lead back to 21 heading into the fourth.
WCU's offense came to life in the fourth quarter as the Catamounts outscored the Camels 21-12 in the final 10 minutes. An 11-0 run by the Catamounts that included back-to-back made triples by Obasuyi and a third by Hollifield, brought the Catamounts within single digits for the first time since the first quarter. However, Campbell responded 24 seconds after the Hollifield trey with a made three by Hadleigh Dill that halted WCU's momentum.
A pair of free throws by Ally Hollifield cut the deficit to 11 with 1:21 remaining, but the Camels scored three of the final five points of the night to hold on for the 66-54 victory.
By the Numbers:
The Catamounts outshot the Camels from beyond the arc, 7-2, connecting on 41.2% of their 3-pointers in the road loss. Campbell, however, shot 50% from the floor (27-of-54), with 44 of their 66 points coming in the paint.
Turnovers proved costly for the Catamounts in the loss, with WCU committing 20 on 11 steals and conceded 27 points to the Camels off those changes of possession. Conversely, WCU was credited with five steals (three by Ally Hollifield) with Campbell committing 16 turnovers, resulting in 11 points for the Purple and Gold.
WCU was effective at the charity stripe for the second game in a row, connecting on 17-of-20 free throw attempts. The Catamounts connected on their first 10 free throws of the night, stringing together 20 consecutive makes dating back to the fourth quarter of the win vs Tusculum.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The mountain continues to get steeper for the Catamounts as head coach Jonathan Tsipis and his squad return home to host the sixth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday, Nov. 16, in the back half of the first WCU basketball doubleheader of the season. The WCU men's basketball team opens the day hosting Stetson at 1 p.m., with the women's contest with the Top 10 foe slated for 3:30 p.m. ET.
The Catamounts then turn their focus to mountain-rival UNC Asheville on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in the second twinbill of the season with a true doubleheader as both the men's and women's squad battle the Bulldogs on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Tip-off of the women's game is 5 p.m., with the Catamount men's team scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m.
