LAWTON – They needed an extra five minutes, but the Aggie men earned their second win of the season by out-lasting Western New Mexico 82-77 on Thursday night.
After winning their season opener, the Cameron men's basketball team had lost three straight games and were set to host the undefeated Mustangs in a non-conference battle in the Aggie Gym. Cameron allowed WNMU to comeback from a 15-point deficit but held on in overtime for the five-point win.
Both teams shot 41 percent from the floor in the thriller, but Cameron was locked in from three and the free throw line, going 11-22 from long range and 23-31 from the charity stripe. The Aggies also out-rebounded the Mustangs 48-39 but turned the ball over 23 times which resulted in 24 points for their opponent.
Cameron's bench played a big part in the win as
Deondre Earley scored 17 points on nine shots and
Joshua Fanuiel scored 14, grabbed eight boards and had two steals in his 26 minutes of action.
Colt Savage also had 14 points and eight boards, while
Marques Warrior Jr. had 10 points and seven assists and
Brock Schreiner added 10 points and eight boards as well.
The Aggies three-point shooting kept them out in front in the first half. They made seven triples in the first 20 minutes of play including one by Savage in the final seconds to give his team a 39-34 advantage at the half.
With 12:47 to play in the game, Earley put his team up by 15 on a turnaround jumped that looked to give the Aggies enough of a lead to hold on for the win. However, WNMU stormed back and a layup by Tony Avalos with 5:42 to play gave them a one-point advantage. The two teams battled back and forth down the stretch and after a pair of free throws by Earley gave CU a 70-68 lead, Amarion Cash tied things at 70 with a made jumper with 38 seconds left. Neither team were able to score in the final seconds, forcing overtime.
Four Schreiner free throws and a jumper by Earley gave CU a four-point lead with 2:57 to play in the extra time. WNMU got back to within one with 1:45 left on the clock, but a dagger three by Warrior with 55 ticks on the clock silenced the opposing bench and put the Aggies back on top by four. The Mustangs made just one shot in the final seconds while Savage knocked down three free throws to secure the five-point win.
The Mustangs were just 4-21 from three and 11-21 from the charity stripe. Avalos led all scorers with 19 points in just 21 minutes while Malik Johnson added 17 and Cash had 15 in the loss.
Cameron now sits at 2-3 with the win and will continue their scheduled non-conference games against league foes on Dec. 14 when they visit Lubbock Christian. That tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas.
