Arena #126: Gore Arena - Campbell vs. The Citadel

I couldn’t have been much more excited for our visit to Gore Arena, Arena #126, on the campus of Campbell University, not because I expected a particularly good game, but because Campbell has one of the best mascots in all of collegiate sports, the Fighting Camel!  Nothing like seeing a giant bronze statue of a camel in front of the arena to get you excited for a hoops game 😊.  Gore Arena must be fairly new and parts of it were classed up, but the plastic seats might have been some of the most uncomfortable I’ve experienced in my Mission 351 travels to date.  Additionally, being holiday break here at Campbell just like the earlier games on this trip, the student section was sparse, but I was pleased by the turn out from the remainder of the fan base as the arena was probably close to half full, including a good number of fans cheering for the opposing Citadel Bulldogs.  Plus, it was a fun chance to watch the current career scoring leader in NCAA D1, Chris Clemons, play in person.  Clemons, who would surpass 3,000 career points later in the season, certainly had a green light to shoot whenever and wherever.  However, his offense wasn’t enough to overcome a balanced Bulldogs attack throughout the evening to where The Citadel took home a victory over the Fighting Camels in this one.

The giant bronze fightin' camel out front of Gore Arena

Inside of Gore Arena

Opening tip between the Fightin' Camels and the Bulldogs

3,000 point career scorer, Chris Clemons, making one of his many trips to the free throw line