WEATHERFORD, Oklahoma (February 19) – The Cameron Aggie basketball teams traveled to Weatherford tonight for their final road game of the season. Facing off against the Southwest Oklahoma State Bulldogs the Aggies were swept, effectively ending any hopes either team had of reaching the postseason. The Aggie women’s team fell in the first match-up, 63-55, with the men also losing, 95-73.

Cameron’s women’s basketball team (4-21, 2-9 LSC) played short-handed but was still able to walk away with just an eight-point loss to SWOSU (9-16, 3-8 LSC). Senior guard Shantel Whitaker went down late in the first half with a severe leg injury, and senior guard Tiffany Williams and junior guard Merrisa Martinuzzi both fouled out with just under five minutes to go.

Williams finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, and an assist in 30 minutes of play. Martinuzzi recorded 7 points, a rebound, and 2 steals in 35 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs began the night on a 16-0 run and forced the Aggies to play catch up the entire game. Despite not ever leading, Cameron’s played stout defense and prevented SWOSU from scoring a field goal in the final 4:49.

“At first we couldn’t even buy a bucket,” Head Coach Kevin Hackerott said. “We kept fighting and were able to break the ice and cut down their lead. We competed hard in the second half but just didn’t have enough bullets.”

Freshman forward Megan Atkins continued her impressive play of late, recording a game-high 14 rebounds. Atkins has tallied 34 rebounds in the last three games, grabbing at least ten in each contest. She also finished with 3 points, 1 steal, and a team-high 3 blocks in 24 minutes of play.

“She (Atkins) is rebounding well and has been very aggressive,” Coach Hackerott said.

Just two Aggies put up double-digit scoring numbers. Juniors Sarah Moore (forward) and Ciara “C.C.” Carroll (guard) put up 13 and 12 points, respectively. Moore also finished with 6 rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes on the floor. Carroll added 4 rebounds in 29 minutes of play.

The Aggie women’s team was mathematically eliminated from postseason contention with their loss to Central Oklahoma last Saturday. Although they lost, the strong individual performances in tonight’s games provided a “moral victory” for the team, according to Coach Hackerott.

The Aggie men’s team (12-13, 3-8 LSC) had a tough time against a team they have already beaten once this season. The SWOSU Bulldogs (17-8, 5-6 LSC) virtually clinched the final postseason slot with their victory, and ensured Cameron would miss the postseason with a record no better than .500. The Aggies have lost two in a row and have not won consecutive games since mid-December.

Senior guard Matt Reid led Cameron offensively recording a game-high 26 points on 9-18 shooting. He also contributed 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 30 minutes on the court. Although Reid had a very strong game offensively, he turned the ball over a game-high 10 times.

Cameron actually held the lead until 7:49 left in the first half, but would not catch back up. The Aggies gave up 29 turnovers for which the Bulldogs converted into 30 points.

Reid and senior guards Brandon Smith and Curtis Ison, Jr. were the only other Aggies to finish the game with at least ten points. Smith recorded 11 points on 5-8 shooting with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal in 31 minutes of play. Ison finished with 14 points on 4-8 from the floor, including 2-3 from three-point range, to go along with 3 rebounds and a block in 23 minutes on the floor.

The Aggies did not score a field goal in the final 2:22 of the game. Unlike in recent games where Cameron rebounds from a sub-par first half to win the second half, the Aggies seemed to go downhill after halftime. CU shot 46.2% from the floor in the first half but shot just 40.0% in the second. Their 21.7% three-point percentage was also unusually low for the Ags.

The Aggie basketball teams return home to host Texas A&M – Commerce this Wednesday, February 21st at the Aggie Gym. It is the final regular season game of the season and will feature a few special festivities. Wednesday night will serve as Senior Night for the nine senior Aggie basketball players as well as being the annual installment of the NCAA’s Take-A-Kid to the Game night. The Cameron Speech and Debate Team will also be honored at halftime of the men’s game.

For further information regarding Wednesday night’s festivities, please contact the Cameron Office of Sports Information.