LAWTON – Off to one of their best starts in almost 10 years, the Cameron women's basketball team heads to Hays, Kan. for their first road trip of the 2021-22 season. 
 
The Aggies have opened the year with three straight 20-plus point wins at home, but they face their toughest test of the young season on Saturday against No. 4 Fort Hays State in their home gym. First, they must take care of Newman on Friday at Gross Memorial Coliseum. 

STARTING 5
1. Head coach Emma Andrews couldn't be any happier with her team's start to the season as their up-tempo playing style has the team 3-0 and ranked 16th in Division II in scoring, fourth in steals, and fourth in three-point field goals made per game. 
2. Stephanie Peterson had a career-game against Midwestern State on Tuesday, scoring 26 points on 14 shots while totaling nine rebounds, four assists, and five steals in the 20-point win; Cameron had five players with 10+ points against the Mustangs. 
3. Fourth-year guard Maighan Hedge, the reigning Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week, ranks in the top-20 players in the nation in multiple categories including being 13th in scoring with her 24.7 points per game. 
4. Newman went 0-2 in their opening weekend, getting out-scored by an average of 14.5 points by their opponents despite junior Tiffany Dortland's 21.5 points and seven rebounds per game over the two-game span. 
5. The Tigers (22-4 last season) are ranked fourth in the nation by two different polls and are 2-0 to start the new season led by freshman Katie Wagner's 24.5 points, 12 rebounds, and two steals per outing over their first weekend of games.

ABOUT THE AGGIES
With their first 3-0 start since the 2013-14 season (4-0 to start the year), the Cameron women are looking like a top team in the region, out-scoring three South Central opponents by an average of 25.3 points. They are currently receiving votes (7) in the D2SIDA top-25 poll and are currently fifth in the South Central region according to the same organization. 

Offensively, the Aggies are shooting almost 44 percent from the field while making 12 triples per outing at a 37 percent clip. They also rack up 18 assists per game in comparison to just 15.7 turnovers. Defensively, the excel on the perimeter, holding teams to 18.5 percent from three while also forcing on average 29.3 turnovers with 16 steals and 3.7 blocks per outing. 

Hedge leads four CU players who are averaging over 10 points to this point in the season. Peterson's outburst against MSU brought her average to 13.7 while also leading the team with 7.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and three steals per game. Katie King is also averaging 12.3 points, 3.7 assists, and three steals and Korie Allensworth is averaging 11.7 points, 2.3 steals, and one block for the Black and Gold. 

SCOUTING THE JETS
Newman opened the season with a 72-65 loss to Wayne State and a 74-52 loss against Mary last weekend. They are shooting 34.4 percent from the field and just 29 percent from three over their first two games. The Jets have also been out-rebounded by an average of 7.5 boards and turning the ball over 17 times per game. Dortland leads the team in points, rebounds, and steals (3.0 per game) while Faith Mason-Vestal is averaging 10 points, six rebounds, and 2.5 blocks for head coach Drew Johnson in first year with the program. 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State entered the season as one of the top programs in the country and are playing like it with an 81-65 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State and a 82-73 win over Sioux Falls to start the year. They excel at getting in the paint, shooting over 52 percent from the floor while making just five three-pointers per contest. They also out-rebounded their opponents by an average of 8.5 boards during the two-game span and turned the ball over just 14.5 times per outing. On top of averaging a double-double, the 5-foot-11 Wagner is also shooting over 70 percent from the field and averaging two assists, two steals, and one block for the Tigers. Freshman and 6-foot-3 forward Olivia Hollenbeck is averaging 10 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 60 percent from the floor. Additionally, senior Whitney Randall, a Alva, Okla. product, scored 15 points against Sioux Falls and is averaging 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. 

WHO HAS NEXT
Cameron has three home games during "Feast Week" or Thanksgiving week. The slate begins against Central Oklahoma on Tuesday, Nov. 23, with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off. The next day, the Aggies host Southwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. for a matinee battle against the top-25 ranked Bulldogs. After the holiday, CU returns to the Aggie Gym on Saturday, Nov. 27, when they take on Oklahoma Baptist at 2 p.m.