LAWTON – The Cameron men's basketball team faces a pair of Mustang teams as they return to the Aggie Gym this week, hosting Midwestern State on Tuesday and Western New Mexico on Thursday.
The Aggies are back in the Aggie Gym this week for the final two home games of the calendar year. They welcome the MSU Mustangs to town on Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. and then the WNMU Mustangs on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
STARTING 5
1. The Aggie men returned to action, after having three games postponed, against Central Oklahoma on Saturday and let a five-point second half lead slip away in their first road loss of the season, moving them to 1-2 on the year.
2. Colt Savage, who is fourth in the Lone Star Conference with 18.7 points per game, is fourth in the country in three-point percentage (.632), 11th with his 4.0 threes per game, and tied for first with a perfect free throw percentage.
3. Tuesday's game against Midwestern State will be the 83rd meeting in the two rivals long history, with MSU holding the overall advantage (52-30) but recent history being dead even with each team earning five wins in the last 10 games.
4. Senior forward Jermane Carter has been a force for MSU, averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting almost 53 percent from the floor through the team's first six games; Carter went for 28 and 10 against WT a few weeks ago.
5. The 4-0 Western New Mexico Mustangs rank ninth in Division II with 19.3 turnovers forced per game while also averaging 10.2 steals per game and scoring an average of 25.3 points off turnovers.
LAST TIME OUT
Cameron is now 1-2 after the16-point loss to Central Oklahoma on Saturday. They struggled to protect the paint, giving up 44 points to the Bronchos down-low while also being out-rebounded by six. The Aggies led by two at the halftime break, but a second-half surge by UCO led to the comeback win. Cameron shot over 45 percent from the floor while making nine threes on 17 attempts. However, the Aggies shot just 58 percent from the foul line, leaving 10 points at the charity stripe. Savage led the offense with a 25-point outing, making five triples and going a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. Brock Schreiner chipped in 12 points, while Connor Slater finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
Cameron is now 1-2 after the16-point loss to Central Oklahoma on Saturday. They struggled to protect the paint, giving up 44 points to the Bronchos down-low while also being out-rebounded by six. The Aggies led by two at the halftime break, but a second-half surge by UCO led to the comeback win. Cameron shot over 45 percent from the floor while making nine threes on 17 attempts. However, the Aggies shot just 58 percent from the foul line, leaving 10 points at the charity stripe. Savage led the offense with a 25-point outing, making five triples and going a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. Brock Schreiner chipped in 12 points, while Connor Slater finished just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
SCOUTING MSU
Midwestern State opened the season with a 2-1 record, splitting the two games against RMAC opponents the opening weekend and then beating UCO 86-65. Since then, they have gone 0-3, losing to WT, Northern State, and Minnesota-Crookston. They are averaging 74.2 points per game while shooting just over 40 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from three. Defensively, they give up 77 points to their opposition while allowing a shooting clip of 44.7 from the floor. MSU has won the battle on the boards by an average of 3.8 and turns the ball over just 12.7 times per outing. Carter is one of three Mustangs averaging over 10 points per game with Terrel Wilson scoring 11.5 per game and Pierre Sanders chipping in an average of 10.5 points. The 5-foot-10 Sanders also leads the team with 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while Wilson averages a team-high three helpers.
SCOUTING WNMU
Western New Mexico is 4-0 and has played almost as many exhibitions this fall than they have regular games (they play the University of the Southwest on Monday). Their wins have come against Westminster (UT), Adams State, and SAGU American Indian twice, all of which have come by an average of 24.3 points. The Mustangs are shooting almost 52 percent from the field, making nine threes at over a 39 percent clip, and make 19.8 foul shots per game. They also out-rebounded the four teams by an average of 7.7 and are one of the top teams in regards to forcing turnovers in the LSC. Senior Jordan Doss leads the team with 20.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting over 54 percent. Additionally, Tony Avalos averages 16.8 and shoots almost 67 percent from the floor and Robert Banks averages 10.3 points for the Mustangs.
WHO HAS NEXT
Cameron's slate of games that don't count in the league standings against LSC opponents continues in just under two weeks when they visit Lubbock Christian on Dec. 14 and then Eastern New Mexico on Dec. 18. After a required holiday break, CU visits Rogers State on Dec. 29 and then opens real conference play at Oklahoma Christian on Dec. 31.
