Thursday, March 01, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Six-seed Campbell pulled off the first big upset of the 2007 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Championship by stunning No.3 Jacksonville 90-85 in first-round action on Thursday in Memorial Center. Freshman Jonathan Rodriguez scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Eric Smith nailed back-to-back 25-foot 3-pointers in overtime as part of a 22 point night to get the Camels over the proverbial hump.

Kyle Vejraska dropped in 10 and Jake Wohlfeil 11 to help Campbell advance to Friday's semifinal where the Camels will take on Belmont. Campbell let a 12-point second-half lead slip away in the closing moments of regulation, but rebounded in the extra period to hold onto the upset bid.

Both teams failed to score in the opening two minutes of OT, but Smith found the range on consecutive possessions. Both times he pulled up off the dribble and over defenders to knock down the shots. The third time down court, he faked the 3, drove the lane and drew a foul for eight straight points.

Freshman Lehmon Colbert tried to keep Jacksonville alive. He matched Smith's first 3-pointer to re-tie the game, but the Dolphins trailed the rest of the way.

The first half set the tone for the game and it was definitely to Campbell's liking. While Jacksonville was looking to pound the ball inside against their smaller opponent, the Camels kept the tempo at a frantic pace and it finally paid off right before the break. Struggling from 3-point range, Campbell turned solely to defensive pressure against the Dolphins guards and fast breaks on the other end.

Jacksonville managed to keep the lead most of the half. Colbert created space with his size in the paint and scored 12 in the half. The Camels started creating turnovers, however, and Eric Smith beat everyone down court to score eight points in a 13-2 closing run. Not to be left out, Rodriguez got in on the action by beating the buzzer. Trailing by four but with a chance to take the last shot, Jacksonville's Jesse Kimbrough drove the lane and has his shot rejected. Rodriguez gathered it in with 3.8 seconds remaining and beat the clock for a lay-in and a six-point halftime advantage.

The second half started the way the first half ended. Ledell Eackles banged down a 3-pointer right away. Rodriguez and Russ Gibson added baskets to push the Camels lead to 12.

The Dolphins began to chip away from there, however. Over the next 8:00, Corey Claitt hit a 3 and Tyrone Curnell converted two traditional three-point plays to help trim the deficit to six. The final 10:00 of regulation belonged to Jacksonville's Kimbrough, who scored 12 of his season-high 24 in that period. At one point, Kimbrough scored 10 of his team's 12 points, but he saved his best for last.

Down by two with 14 seconds remaining, Kimbrough worked the clock, drove the lane and hit a runner to send the game to overtime. There, however, he was held scoreless. Colbert had 15 points for the Dolphins and Marcus Allen had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

General Notes
- Someone had to win. Both Jacksonville and Campbell were 1-7 all-time in A-Sun tournament games. The Camels only other win came in 1996 against Stetson. Campbell had lost their previous 7 tournament games.
- Campbell's win makes No.6 seeds 13-21 in tourney history. A six-seed has won the title once.
- The Camels pulled even with Jacksonville in the two schools' all-time series. Both have won nine times against the other.

Campbell Notes
- The Camels are getting hot at the right time. They have won three straight and are two possessions away from being 5-1 in their last six.
- The Camels have struggled on the road this year with a 1-13 record. Apparently neutral courts suit them fine. They are now 1-0 in those games.
- Thursday's win snapped a seven-game tournament losing streak for the Camels.
- Campbell outrebounded a bigger and more physical Jacksonville team 45-36 and outshot the Dolphins 44 percent to 43.
- The biggest difference in the game could be the free throw line. Campbell hit 30-of-38. Jacksonville was only 14-of-16.
- Ledell Eackles collected a career-high 10 rebounds.
- Jonathan Rodriguez set a Campbell single-season rebounding record with 11 today to bring his season total to 267.

Jacksonville Notes
- The Dolphins season ended on a disappointing note, but the year as a whole has been an overwhelming success. After winning just one game in 2005-06, Jacksonville improved their win column by 14 games this year. It's the second-best turnaround in NCAA history for a team coming off a one-win season.
- Jacksonville's last A-Sun tourney win came in 2005 against Lipscomb.
- The Dolphins are 1-11 when getting outrebounded by an opponent.
- Jesse Kimbrough did more than score for Jacksonville. Against the Camels, he had six assists, four rebounds and no turnovers.