FIRST HALF SLUMP PROVES COSTLY IN 67-56 LOSS AT CAMERON
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&M-Commerce (5-7 (4-3 LSC)) | 15 | 41 | 56 |
| Cameron (4-10 (3-5 LSC)) | 37 | 30 | 67 |
| Lawton, OK (Aggie Gymnasium) | |||
| A&M-Commerce | Cameron |
|---|---|
| Pts: Aubree Butts - 13 | Pts: STAMP,Chelsea - 15 |
| Reb: La'Tisha Hearne - 8 | Reb: REINKE,Lacy - 12 |
| Ast: Kourtney Briscoe - 5 | Ast: HARRIS,Brittany - 5 |
| Team Statistics | A&M-Commerce | Cameron |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 32.8% (21-64 ) | 41.7% (20-48 ) |
| Rebounds | 30 | 33 |
| Assists | 9 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 9 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 20 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 6 | 14 |
Cameron 67, A&M-Commerce 56
Location: Aggie Gymnasium · Lawton, Okla.
Records: A&M-Commerce (5-7, 3-4 LSC); Cameron (4-10, 3-5 LSC)
Up Next: at West Texas A&M · Wednesday, Jan. 16 · 6 p.m. · Canyon, Texas
LAWTON, Okla. – While basketball is a 40-minute ordeal, a 16-minute span in the first half sealed A&M-Commerce's fate Saturday afternoon as the Lions dug themselves a big hole before falling at Cameron 67-56. The loss drops A&M-Commerce to 5-7 on the year and 3-4 in Lone Star Conference play.
Breanna Harris once again led the way for the Lions, finishing with 14 points and six rebounds while Aubree Butts posted 13 points with a pair of boards. La'Tisha Hearne also had a solid afternoon for A&M-Commerce, just missing a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, including five offensive.
Kourtney Briscoe added nine points with a team-high five assists while Michelle Sutton finished with six points and five rebounds. But that about did it for the Lion offensive production as three other players combined for the remaining five points.
Seeking to record back-to-back road victories for the first time since the 2008-09 season, A&M-Commerce came out of the gates quickly, as a steal and lay-up by Hearne gave the Lions a five-point cushion at 11-6 with 15:56 to play. At that point in the game, A&M-Commerce had hit five of its first eight shots and seemed ready to shake off the disappointment against Midwestern State Wednesday evening.
But the final 15:56 turned into head coach Nicole Anderson's worst nightmare as the cold shooting that plagued the Lions against the Mustangs reared its head once again. For the remainder of the half, A&M-Commerce hit just one of its final 21 shots as Cameron would outscore the Lions 31-4 over the final 16 minutes, including a 20-0 run to close out the half, building a commanding 37-15 lead at halftime.
A&M-Commerce hit just six of their 39 attempts in the first, shooting 15.4 percent from the floor while hitting two of 12 three-point attempts (16.7 percent). It didn't get much better from the free throw line as the Lions hit just one of its three attempts, compared to Cameron's nine-for-nine from the charity stripe while shooting 12-of-21 from the floor (41.4 percent).
But the halftime deficit did little to deter the Lions' determination as A&M-Commerce slowly began to chip away at the Cameron advantage. Hitting 57.7 percent of their shots in the second half, the Lions outscored the Aggies 27-10 cut the deficit to just five at 47-42 with eight minutes remaining. But the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Cameron maintained its advantage, outscoring the Lions 20-14 down the stretch to notch the 67-56 victory.
The win for Cameron is its sixth-straight over A&M-Commerce as the Aggies now take the 19-18 lead in the all-time series. Four Aggies finished in double figures, led by 15 from Chelsea Stamp and 12 each from Hannah Pollart, Brittany Harris and Ali Brown. Lacy Reinke added seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
A&M-Commerce remains on the road, coming back to Commerce to begin spring semester classes before heading west to Canyon for a showdown with West Texas A&M on Wednesday, January 16th. Opening tip against the Lady Buffs is scheduled for 6 p.m. with full coverage (audio, video, stats) available at LionAthletics.com.
