LAREDO, Texas – Katie King scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Cameron women's basketball team to a 79-71 win over Texas A&M International inside the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building.
The Aggies jump into the seventh spot in the Lone Star Conference standings after the win and losses by both Eastern New Mexico and St. Edward's. CU now has two games remaining, while the Greyhounds and Hilltoppers still have three to play. The Black-and-Gold improve to 12-13 over, 10-10 in the Lone Star Conference, and 6-7 in the Western Division.
To go with King's game-high 29 points, Kailyn Lay recorded 11, and Alena Wilson scored 10 points. Karley Miller scored eight points, Kiara Lovings chipped in seven, Korie Allensworth had six, Kloe Heidebrecht and LaKya Leslie added three points, and Alannah Gillespie had two.
Miller snagged 11 rebounds, Leslie pulled down eight boards, King and Wilson seized five, Allensworth, Lay and Lovings added four, and Heidebrecht added one.
Lay led the team with seven assists, Gillespie dished out five dimes, King added three, Allensworth had two, and Heidebrecht and Miller chipped in one assist.
King, Lay, and Lovings swiped two steals, while Allensworth and Wilson grabbed one.
The Aggies blocked seven Dustdevil shots, with Miller swatting three, Allensworth, Heidebrecht, Lay, and Wilson knocking down one.
Cameron made 44.1 percent of the shots from the floor, making 26-of-59 attempts, sinking 10-of-32 threes for 31.3 percent, and cashed in on 17-of-20 free throws. TAMIU was held to 33.3 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from long range, and made 13-of-17 shots from the charity stripe.
The lids on the baskets took a little work to open up to start the game. Neither team made a shot over the first 90 seconds until Miller knocked down a three-pointer at the 7:27 mark. Midway through the first, CU would hold an 11-6 lead. International closed the quarter on a 13-5 run to take a 19-16 lead after one.
The Black-and-Gold would use an 11-0 run over six minutes of the second to build a 27-19 lead, holding the Dustdevils scoreless until the four-minute mark, making that over eight minutes, stretching back to the end of the first quarter, that they were held off the scoreboard. TAMIU closed the first half on a 15-6 run to take a 34-33 lead at the intermission.
Over the first two minutes of the second half, the teams would trade baskets, with CU coming out ahead 40-39. The Aggies would lock down on the defensive side, leading to a 10-2 stretch to give them a 50-41 lead with 3:55 to play in the frame. International would cut it to a two-possession game after a 6-1 run, trailing 51-47 with three minutes left. Both teams would score nine points down the stretch to the fourth, with Cameron leading 60-56.
The Aggies would not surrender the lead over the final 10 minutes, with the closest that the Dustdevils would be three points with 1:39 to play at 74-71 before Cameron would score the final five points to take the game.
The Black-and-Gold will travel to face Texas A&M Kingsville on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
