Aggies slip by Jennies 71-68
December 20, 2007FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (December 20) – You can officially say that the eight-game losing streak is finished. The Cameron Aggie women’s basketball team (2-9) won a huge game this afternoon against a very stout Central Missouri Jennie squad (5-6). The final score was 71-68 in favor of the Aggies, who were behind for the majority of the game. The match-up was CU’s second and final game at the Cruizin’ Classic basketball tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.“Obviously it was a good win that we needed,” Head Coach Kevin Hackerott said. “Our team did some of the things we needed to do to get better, and the name of the game is when you score points you have the chance to win. We had enough to get it done and we had some kids step up.”
Cameron tied the game at 3-3 early on, but played catch-up until three minutes into the second half. In the middle of a UCM run, CU took control and scored four quick points to take their first lead of the game. The Jennies bounced back and held the lead for the next seven minutes until the Aggies went up by four points. Although the game was tied four times in the final ten minutes, Cameron maintained control from the 7:25 mark until the final buzzer.
“Overall it was a good team effort. The kids battled hard and I am very proud of them tonight,” Coach Hackerott said.In the game Cameron shot a blistering 53.7% from the field compared to Central Missouri’s 46.4%. The Aggies also fouled just 13 times in the entire game and were only out-rebounded 32-30. Additionally, CU only turned the ball over 19 times in comparison to UCM’s 21 turnovers.
The 71 points Cameron scored this afternoon was their highest point total of the season. Surprisingly, only five Aggie players scored in the game.“We were more efficient but we still had too many turnovers,” Coach Hackerott said. “At least in the possessions we had we were able to get some good looks. This win will help us to gain more confidence. Our kids played good defense and UCM did not attack as well; we got them on their heels a bit with our defense. It is our time to get a break like that.”
Junior guard Jasmine Parr had another great game for the Aggies as she finished with a team-high 24 points on 9-16 shooting, including 3-4 from three-point range. She also chipped in 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a team-high 3 steals. Parr saw action in all 40 minutes of the game.
Like Parr, senior guard Tiffany Williams reached the 20-point plateau with 20 points on 8-15 shooting. Williams also recorded a block, an assist, a steal, and a team-high 7 rebounds. She totaled 37 minutes on the floor.
Senior guard Merrisa Martinuzzi had a very solid showing in the game, finishing with 12 points on 5-8 shooting. She was the only other Aggie to record a double-digit point total. Martinuzzi also contributed 2 rebounds, a block, and an assist, but it was her team-high 8 assists that proved to be a major contribution to today’s victory. She played 37 minutes in the game.
“You can’t say enough about Merrisa’s play today,” Coach Hackerott said. “She hit some big shots and just played great. This was probably the best she has played since I’ve been at CU. She was confident with the ball and got us going when we were dull.”Sophomore forward Megan Atkins saw action in today’s contest, just two days after an apparent knee injury was supposed to knock her out of the tournament. Atkins went down early in CU’s game against Washburn on Tuesday, and trainers said she would need to be sidelined until the team returned to Lawton.
Atkins proved her doubters wrong and contributed a strong 15 minutes in the game. Although not seriously injured, her knee was still bothersome as she only recorded 3 rebounds, an assist, and a team-high 2 blocks in the game.“Megan had fifteen big minutes defensively,” Coach Hackerott said. “Obviously she’s not 100%, but the trainer gave us the okay and it was Megan’s call. The stats don’t look like it but she did what we needed her to do. I really appreciate her effort.”
The Aggie women’s basketball team can now enjoy a long and much-needed break. The team returns to action on Thursday, January 3, when they travel to San Angelo, Texas, to take on Angelo State University in a women’s and men’s double-header. The women will tip off at 6:00pm and the men will begin at 8:00pm.
The next home game for the women’s team does not come until Thursday, January 10, when they host West Texas A&M University at 6:00pm. The men are in action at home just one more time this semester when they host the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State at 5:00pm on Sunday, January 30.
