LAWTON, Okla. – An explosive third quarter helps Aggie women's basketball pull away from the UT Tyler Patriots on Thursday night; Maighan Hedge finished just shy of a triple-double, while Ava Battese rattled off six three-pointers in the third frame alone.
 
Cameron entered tonight's game winners of five of their last six and in a good position within the Lone Star Conference. Boasting a 10-12 record, with a 9-7 conference record, the Aggies are looking to host a first round matchup in the LSC tournament.
 
In the first quarter, CU got off to a fast start, leading the Patriots 13-4 at the media timeout. From there, the Black and Gold ended the first quarter up 21-13. Whitney Outon made a huge impact in the opening frame, scoring four points down low while generating a pair of steals while dishing out an assist.
 
The Aggies took a ten-point lead into the halftime break, which never felt indicative of how the game went. After the first twenty minutes of action, nearly four Aggies were already in double figures.
 
Hedge posted a big first-half threat, going for nine points and collecting five rebounds and five assists. The sophomore from Australia finished with 16 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in the win. 
 
McKenna Spikes provided a lift off the CU bench, as she ended the first half with an and-one, and never looked back. The senior post player posted eight points by the half and had already grabbed five boards to that point. "She was huge for us tonight, she had an and-one to end the first quarter and that was the reason we were able to pull away in this game." Aggie head coach Emma Andrews commented. Spikes ended the game with eight points and seven rebounds.
 
In the third quarter, the Aggies gained more separation, building their biggest lead of the contest, 26 points. CU got a huge boost from senior guard Battese. The Elgin, Okla. native drilled six three-pointers in the ten-minute span. "She started the game out 0-for-5 (from three) and I told her at halftime, just keep shooting. Go 5-for-5 in the second half...I think she went 6-for-6." Emma Andrews said of Battese's performance.
 
From there, the Black and Gold never looked back, beating the Patriots 89-66. Every member scored for the Aggies, and three got into double figures.
 
CU saw 32 points come from their bench unit, including the team's third-leading scorer in this contest, Stephanie Peterson. The Colorado, native poured in 11 points while pulling in five rebounds.
 
The Aggies are now winners of six of their last seven games and are still in prime position to host a first-round Lone Star Conference game. Of that possibility, Andrews said "That would be an amazing thing for Cameron University. With such a young team though, we are still taking it one game at a time and living in the now. I think we can make a run."
 
Cameron has a tough test on Saturday as they face a showdown with the unbeaten and third-ranked A&M-Commerce Lions. That game will tip-off at 2 p.m. in the Aggie Gym.