Lawton, Okla. (Dec. 17, 2011) ¬¬— Cameron’s women’s basketball team improved its conference record to 4-1 Saturday, with a 57-44 victory over Incarnate Word in the Aggie Gym. The 4-1 conference record is the best start for the Aggies in more than 10 years.

The Black and Gold (6-2, 4-1) overcame a three point deficit at halftime to earn the victory. The team, led in the second half by Nicole Pendarvis with 14 points, used a suffocating defense to outscore their opponents 31-15 in the half. Pendarvis went 3-3 in the half, including 2-2 from behind the arc and 6-6 from the line.

“The young ladies did a good job in the second half,” said Head Coach Tom Webb. “We defended really well. Offensively, it helps you a ton when you can get into transition. Our defense converted into good offense.”

Cameron came out firing on its home court, pulling ahead by six at 17-11 with 13 minutes left in the first half, but the Cardinals (6-4, 2-4) stood tough and were able to build a three point lead at the half.

Senior Sabelle Diata finished the game with her third consecutive double-double, tallying 18 points and 11 rebounds. Her 18 points tied Pendarvis for a team high. Senior Julie Paunovic also reached double-digits with 12, going 3-7 from beyond the arc and 3-5 from the line. While only three players claimed double-digit scoring, the defense won the game, and according to Webb it was a total team effort.

“We’ve done a good job of not giving up easy baskets (over the past couple of games),” he said.  “If we continue to do that, we will be fine. The number one thing is to continue to grow as a basketball team. As a staff, we have to continue to trust our kids; keep growing the bench stronger and stronger.”

The 4-1 conference record moves the Aggies into third place, behind West Texas A&M (5-0) and Tarleton State (3-0). Webb said the record is nice, but they have work to do.

“We’ve got to keep working hard to be great,” he said. “What we need to do is concentrate on ourselves. It’s such a long year … you have to play one minute at a time.”

The women will play their final game before the break at 6 p.m. Monday against Texas A&M-Kingsville (0-4, 1-8) in the Aggie Gym.