LAWTON, Oklahoma (February 21) – The Cameron Aggie basketball teams completed their respective 2006-2007 seasons tonight with losses courtesy of Texas A&M – Commerce. Both Aggie squads barely missed making the playoffs and were hoping to end the season, and the collegiate careers of nine seniors, with a victory. The women’s team lost the first game 80-64, and the men lost the second game 92-81. Both teams now enter the offseason portion of their schedule.
The Aggie women’s team (4-22, 2-10 LSC) took on the first-place Texas A&M – Commerce Lions (21-8, 9-2 LSC) who wrapped up a playoff berth and number one overall seed with the victory. The Lions have arguably one of the most dominant offenses in the conference and proved their ability tonight. The game began with a 12-0 run by the Lions, who never relinquished their lead.
“This was a disappointing way to go out, especially for our seniors,” Head Coach Kevin Hackerott said. “We shot poorly, but give credit to (Texas A&M) Commerce; they are a great team who has the ability to win conference.” Cameron shot 35.1% from the field in the game, including 24.1% in the first half.
While the Aggies weren’t able to recover from the Lions’ early solid shooting, they were able to rebound at halftime to have a better second half. Commerce put up 42 points in each half, and the Aggies improved from 23 points in the first half to 37 in the second.
Junior guard Tiffany Williams led both teams offensively pouring in 26 points on 8-18 shooting. She also added 4 rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 34 minutes on the floor.
Ciara “C.C.” Carroll, another junior guard, was the only other Aggie to score in double figures. She finished with 10 points on 3-9 shooting to go along with 3 rebounds, a steal, and a team-high 4 assists in 21 minutes of play.
“Tiffany (Williams) and C.C. (Carroll) both played well and I am proud of everyone’s effort in the second half,” Coach Hackerott said. “We were just too far behind to come back.”
Seniors Chelsea Turner, Shantel Whitaker, and Brittni Peacock all had solid final games in black and gold. Turner narrowly missed recording a double-double by finishing with 9 points, 6 rebounds, an assist and a steal in 33 minutes on the court. Whitaker, who was forced to leave the team’s most recent game with an injury, recorded 6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in 28 minutes of play. Brittni Peacock ended the game with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, a team-high 2 steals, and 3 points courtesy of an impressive long-range shot.
Although the team failed to reach the playoffs, the season is still considered a success by many. Coach Hackerott has a young team coming back with a full season’s worth of experience under their belt.
“It was a year of change,” Coach Hackerott said. “We struggled all year in shooting and we have got to be able to make the points. We had our chances but not enough bullets to get it done.”
The Cameron men’s team (12-14, 3-9 LSC) missed out on a .500 season with the loss, but played competitively for most of the game. The score went back and forth with the Aggies at one point owning a commanding ten-point lead. The Lions (13-13, 6-5 LSC) battled back and went into the locker room at halftime with a two-point lead courtesy of a running three-pointer by TAMUC’s Kevin Widemond that connected at the buzzer.
The Lions needed to defeat the Aggies in order to have any shot at the playoffs. Their victory effectively secured a postseason berth and gave them the No. 3 seed in the Lone Star Conference North Division. The Aggies regained the lead for a few minutes in the second half, but saw the game slipping away around the fifteen minute mark.
“In the first half we played pretty well,” Head Coach Maury Leitzke said. “Our six seniors played really well but the foul trouble in both halves got us into trouble.”
Five Aggies finished with four or more fouls in the game. The Lions shot an amazing 41 free throws compared to Cameron’s 25.
Senior guard Matt Reid had a solid game for the Aggies, contributing a game-high 23 points on 7-12 shooting. He also had 4 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, and a game-high 7 assists in his 29 minutes of play.
Marlon Bernard, a senior center, had a fabulous final game as an Aggie by recording his only double-double of the season. Bernard finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, a steal, and an assist in 31 minutes on the floor.
“Each one of our six seniors was the heart and soul of the team,” Coach Leitzke said. “They all did just great.”
The four remaining seniors, Melvin Mitchell, Willie Tisdale, Curtis Ison, and Brandon Smith, all had strong final games in Aggie Gym.
Mitchell finished the game with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist in 24 minutes of play. Tisdale finished with 9 points, an assist, and a steal in 22 minutes on the court. Ison contributed 5 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in 20 minutes of play. Smith recorded 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists in 30 minutes on the floor.
Despite going 9-2 in the first half of the season and just 3-12 in the second, the season had a number of positives for first-year head coach Maury Leitzke and his Cameron squad.
“We did great things,” Coach Leitkze said. “We didn’t complete our goal by making it into the playoffs but I am still pleased with our team.”
This season the Aggie men’s team defeated four top twenty-four nationally ranked teams and four of the top ten teams in the South Central Region. Had they won their final two games (NSU, TAMUC) they would likely have clinched a postseason berth.
Both Aggie basketball programs now enter their offseason portion of their schedule to focus on conditioning and recruiting. The Lone Star Conference playoffs take place from February 27-March 3.