LAWTON, Okla. – Career-highs from Maighan Hedge and Jazmin Luster help the Aggie women's basketball team edge past St. Edward's, 81-73, on Saturday.
           
After coming up just short against St. Mary's on Thursday night, the scrappy Aggies looked to rebound on Saturday afternoon with a pivotal matchup with the St. Edward's Hilltoppers.
           
In the first quarter, Hedge was responsible for the first 11 CU points, cracking into double figures before the first quarter media timeout. The sophomore from Melbourne, Australia was on fire to start the contest. She was involved in scoring or assisting on the Aggies first 13 points.
           
The Black and Gold remained committed to their new full-court press style defense, which netted four turnovers in the first ten minutes alone. That is a strategy head coach Emma Andrews has deployed throughout the conference slate. Andrews said pressing the opponents fits the team's personnel, siting the teams "really good on-ball defenders." CU was able to dominate the glass in the first ten minutes of action, taking a 13-7 advantage in the rebounding category. The Aggies did not allow a second chance point for the Hilltoppers in quarter number one.
           
In the second quarter, the two sides went back and forth, seeing the lead change three times, as the Aggies continued to play through Hedge. Last year's Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year was able to capture 15 points by the break.
           
Cameron's defense continued to fluster the Hilltoppers all throughout the first half, ending the first twenty minutes of action with nine turnovers generated.
           
Luster added a huge lift off the Black and Gold bench, checking into the game in the second quarter and making her presence felt with nine points and five rebounds. Luster proved to be a difference-maker in the CU's critical 11-6 run to close out the half. She led all scorers during that stretch with nine points.
           
The third quarter saw the Aggies holding onto a 59-53 lead. They got hot from long range, hitting 57-percent of their 3-point shots in the frame. Senior guard Ava Battese came alive in the third quarter scoring eight of her 14 points in the frame.
           
Saturday's second-half did not lack adversity for the Aggies though, as CU was charged with 10 fouls after the break. They lost the lead with six minutes to go in the contest, the first lead change of the second half. The last 20 minutes of action saw six lead changes and three ties.
           
In the end, the Cameron's huge rebounding advantage, 51-30, helped lift them past the Hilltoppers. Despite being undersized to the Hilltoppers, CU earned a season-high in the rebounding category. Coach Andrews attributed that to their offensive system. "We put our fives outside a lot, to get their big kid out. We put her in a little different position, and we were aggressive turning and getting to the rim."
 
Two CU players logged career-highs in scoring tonight when Hedge and Luster went for 30 and 16, respectively. Andrews praised Luster's post-game saying "She played aggressive, as she did this time last year. I think she is starting to find that aggressiveness again…[Luster] was huge tonight, I don't think [SEU] had an answer for her tonight."
           
Now that Cameron was able to get back on track with the big conference win, the team will travel south of the Red River to take on their rival Midwestern State on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m., the first of two contests against the Mustangs next week.