LAWTON, Okla. (Dec. 19, 2011) ¬¬— Cameron’s men’s basketball team overcame a five point halftime deficit to defeat Texas A&M-Kingsville 79-70 Monday night in the Aggie Gym.

The Aggies (7-3, 5-1) had to stand strong against a quick start by the Javelinas (6-7, 1-4), as Kingsville came out firing after the opening tip-off. The visiting team mounted a quick lead, making the first two buckets of the game, and was able to lead the majority of the first half. The team was not shy about its shot selection, going 4-9 from beyond the arc and 10-24 from the field. At the end of the first, it was 35-30, Kingsville.

“It (the game) was a tough one,” said Head Coach Wade Alexander. “We told our guys they (Texas A&M) would come out and fire at us early. We had to be ready.”

The coach said his team’s game plan coming in was to stand in the fire, hang close, and make a push for the victory at the end. Senior Milton Garner was a major reason the plan came into fruition, finishing the game with 31 points on 7-15 shooting, including 5-9 from the arc and 12-14 from the charity stripe.

Garner scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half, including a number of clutch free throws down the stretch to help ice the game. As a team, the Aggies outscored the Javelinas 49-35 in the second half to steal the conference victory. In addition to Garner, senior Thomas Razor was also effective, finishing with 15 points, a number of those with time winding down in the second half. Sophomore Craig Foster was also able to nail a clutch three with 1:31 left to put Cameron up eight.

“We just had to stay within striking distance,” Alexander said. “Some guys really stepped up and played well. Razor gave us a huge lift tonight. Craig has also made big shots. It seems like he makes a big shot in every game.  I’m just glad we have a deep enough bench to go in a different direction (for scoring options). We took advantage of our offensive scheme and did what it took to win the game.”

The win moved the Black and Gold to fourth place in the conference, behind only Midwestern (10-0, 5-0), West Texas (9-1, 4-0) and Tarleton State (10-1, 3-0). The team’s next action will be at 4 p.m. Saturday on New Year’s Eve in Ada against East Central (3-6).

Conference play will resume at 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 11 against Eastern New Mexico in the Aggie Gym.