DENTON, Texas – Cameron erased a 19-point deficit against Texas Woman's on Thursday night but was unable to get a clutch shot in the final seconds, falling 65-61.
The Aggie women's basketball team entered Thursday on a five-game winning streak and near the top of the Lone Star Conference standings. A slow start put CU behind the eight-ball early, but after tying the game in the final minutes, TWU made the clutch plays to secure the four-point win and snap the winning streak.
Less than a week after scoring 100 points, Cameron got off to a slow start against the Pioneers, going just 1-6 from the floor and turning the ball over three times in the opening minutes of the first. They were able to regroup and get within one with 1:18 in the frame, but a late run by the home team gave them a 17-11 lead after the first period.
The second quarter was even worse for the Black and Gold as they shot just 23 percent from the field and went 0-6 from three, scoring seven points in the period. TWU answered by shooting over 69 percent from the field and scoring 20 points to lead 37-18 at the halftime break.
Stephanie Peterson had eight points on 3-6 shooting and six rebounds for the Aggies after 20 minutes of play while
Maighan Hedge had just four points on 2-5 shooting. TWU was led by Ashley Ingram with 13 points.
Cameron came out swinging in the third quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field while going 4-7 from three on their way to score 23 points. They were able to cut the TWU lead to 10, but a run at the end of the quarter put the home team back up by 14 entering the final period.
The Aggies used a 13-0 run during the middle of the fourth to flip the script and tie the game at 59 with 1:30 to play. After TWU's Agang Tac made a bucket off her own offensive rebound,
Korie Allensworth came down and tied the game on a jumper with 31 seconds on the clock.
Instead of running the clock down, the freshman Ingram decided to drive the lane and got fouled, making both ensuing free throws to give her team a 63-61 lead with 18 to play. Out of a timeout, the Aggies tried to get an open look but lost control of the ball with eight seconds to play. Brielle Woods iced the game with two more free throws, giving her team the 65-61 win.
The Aggies finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the field after making over 57 percent of their attempts in the second half. They were just 7-25 from three and 8-12 from the foul line, attempting nine less foul shots than TWU.
Hedge led CU with 20 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from thre. She also had a team-best four assists and two steals. Peterson added a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double. Additionally, Allensworth had eight points,
Katie King had seven, and
Whitney Outon added six.
Ingram led a TWU team that shot 48 percent from the field and went 14-21 from the charity stripe with 21 points and eight rebounds. Keslyn King chipped in 11 points and six rebounds, helping her team out-rebound CU 41-21.
Despite the loss, Cameron remains at the top of the LSC standings at 10-6 and 5-1 against conference opponents as the other two remaining undefeated teams (Texas A&M-Kingsville and West Texas A&M lost on Thursday night as well.
The Aggies next face rival Midwestern State in a rematch of an early-season meeting on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. in Wichita Falls, Texas. Cameron forced MSU into 33 turnovers and won by 20 in their previous meeting.
