STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Cameron women's basketball team battled Tarleton State to the final second on Saturday, but fell as the TexAnns made a last second shot for the 69-67 win.
In search of the season sweep of TSU, the Black and Gold played their opponent tough throughout the contest. Both teams shot just over 43 percent from the field, with CU going 4-13 from three and Tarleton going 3-16. The Aggies also went 17-22 from the foul line, and turned the ball over just 11 times.
Lejha Smith posted a career-high 18 points, going 6-8 from both the field and the free throw line.
Maighan Hedge chipped in 16 points, going 7-8 from the charity stripe, while
Ava Battese chipped in 11 points with three made treys.
Cameron kicked the game off with a quick three from Hedge, but that would be the most each team would lead throughout the first frame. Tarleton State took their first three point lead at the 5:28 mark, but that was quickly dropped back down to one thanks to a
McKenna Spikes layup. At the end of the first 10 minutes, TSU led 15-13 after
Whitney Outon made a layup with 1:31 to play in the frame.
The second quarter was back and forth until Cameron took a four point lead, 24-20, at the 1:47 mark thanks to a 5-0 run capped by a Battese made three. After the TexAnns got a bucket on the other end, Battese knocked down another shot from long range to put the Aggies up by five. Tarleton closed out the half with four straight to cut the CU lead to just one, 27-26, at the break.
Both teams found their offense in the third quarter as it was the highest scoring of the game for both teams. Cameron opened up the frame on a 7-2 run through the first four minutes to build up a 34-28 lead. TSU battled back to cut the deficit to one with 1:12 to play, but five straight for CU gave them a 48-42 advantage at the end of three.
Tarleton State opened the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run to get back to within one with just under nine to play. After trading buckets, CU made a run of their own, scoring six straight to take their biggest lead, 60-53 with 5:52 left on the clock. The TexAnns chipped away at the lead until four straight points from Nina Alvarez tied the game at 67 with just 21 seconds left on the clock. In CU's final possession,
Parfitt McNair dribbled down the clock and went in for a layup with just a few seconds left. The shot bounced off the rim and TSU grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with just 1.1 left on the clock. TexAnn head coach called up a lob play that saw Katie Webster throw the ball towards the rim where McKinley Bostad caught the ball and dropped it in the basket for the win.
Bostad, who did not play in the first meeting between the two teams this season, had 19 points, while Makenzie Hailey had a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
Cameron is now 7-15 on the season and 4-10 in Lone Star Conference play, while the Texans improve to 16-6 overall and 9-5 against conference opponents with the win.
The Aggies will look to bounce back from their fourth straight loss next week as they visit UT Permian Basin on Feb. 14 and Western New Mexico on Feb. 16. Both the Falcons and Mustangs are at the bottom of the pack in the conference standings.
