LAWTON, Okla. -- The Cameron women's basketball team will play their final, official non-conference game of the season on Tuesday, as they visit No. 21 St. Mary's for a future Lone Star Conference opponent matchup. 

Cameron at No. 21 St. Mary's (Texas) | Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. | Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas | Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes

Starting 5: 
1. Aggie senior Natalie Halbleib was named the LSC Defensive Player of the week last week after her clutch performance against Lubbock Christian; she had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and hit a pair of clutch threes and the game securing  defensive stop.
2. Cameron's win against LCU was their second this season against a team who was either receiving votes or ranked in the WBCA Top-25 Poll at some point this season; the first was against Emporia State.
3. Last week, St. Mary's entered both of the Division II women's basketball Top-25 polls, debuting at No. 21 in the WBCA Poll and No. 18 in the D2SIDA Poll. 
4. The Rattlers only losses on the season have come against a pair of other Lone Star Conference Schools, 79-69 to Tarleton State and 51-35 to MSU Texas.
5. Senior guard Kaitlin Walla was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week last Monday after scoring 23 points in a upset win of then No. 21 Angelo State. 

About the Aggies: 
Cameron snapped a four game losing streak with their win over the Lady Chaps. They now sit at 3-6 on the season with wins against Newman, Emporia State, and LCU. Five of CU's six losses have come against teams who are currently ranked or receiving votes in both or one of the two major women's basketball top-25 polls.

The Aggies are scoring 71.4 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from the perimeter, and 70.3 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, they are still giving up 79.7 points to their opponents while allowing them to shoot 43.3 percent against them, while as a team CU averages just 5.9 steals and 2.3 blocks per outing. Another struggle has been ball control, as they average 20.3 turnovers to 12.6 assists per game, but they excel on the glass with a 2.9 rebounding margin over their opposition. 

Freshman Maighan Hedge leads the team and is top-5 in the LSC in scoring with 15.3 points per game, while her senior teammate Halbleib is also ranked in the top-5 with 14.7 points per contest. Hedge also leads the Black and Gold with 1.2 steals per game and a free throw percentage of 95 percent, while Halbleib has made an LSC best 25 three pointers this season. Additionally, junior Ava Battese is scoring 9.7 points per game while shooting over 39 percent from the perimeter, while Parfitt McNair leads CU with 2.7 assists per game to go along with her 8.6 point scoring average. In the post, senior Lejha Smith has started to play stronger, averaged 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks to go along with 6.7 points per contest. 

Scouting the Lady Rattlers: 
St. Mary's has started out the 2018-19 basketball season with an 8-2 record, with five of their wins coming against LSC foes. They also recorded an impressive 101-97 double-overtime win over then No. 1 Central Missouri. Most recently, the Rattlers lost a defensive battle with MSU Texas, scoring just 35 points while shooting just 23.3 percent from the floor and 18.8 percent from three in the loss; Walla and Soteria Banks were the top scorers with eight points. 

STMU is not a high scoring team, averaging 64.7 points per game, but they limit their opposition to just 59.5 points and a field goal percentage of just over 37 percent. They do excel from the perimeter, making 7.4 three-pointers per game while hitting them at a 37.2 percent clip. The Rattlers hold a 4.2 rebounding margin over their opponents, but commit an average of 18.1 turnovers per outing with just 11.2 assists. Defensively, they average 2.7 blocks and 6.6 steals. 

Walla leads the team with 17.1 points per contest, shooting 42.7 percent from the floor, 48 percent from three, and 88.5 percent from the charity stripe. Banks averages 11.2 points to go along with 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists, while Hannah Wilson leads the team with 10.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game to go along with a scoring average of 9.5 and a 52.5 field goal percentage. 

The Series vs. STMU:
The Aggies are 5-6 all time against St. Mary's, with just three of their 11 meetings coming in Lawton. Most recently, the Rattlers have held the advantage, winning the matchup in 2016 and 2017. Last season, the Rattlers used a 13-8 fourth quarter to earn the 54-51 win. Neither team shot over 40 percent from the field, while CU went just 9-16 from the charity stripe. Banks led STMU with 16 points, and Arysia Porter had an 11 point, 10 rebound double-double. Battese had a team-high 14 points for CU and Lejha Smith chipped had a game-high 13 rebounds. 

Next Up:
The Aggies will wrap up 2018 with an exhibition contest at Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. They will then begin the new year with five straight home conference games, starting with a battle with Tarleton State on Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m.