January 15, 2008
Aggie men fall to Pats in OT
DALLAS, Texas (January 15) – The Aggie men's basketball team (2-13) fought another tough overtime battle this evening, but was once again unable to secure the victory. Tonight the Aggies traveled to Dallas to take on the Dallas Baptist Patriots (5-9), and came away with a 98-91 overtime defeat. The two teams matched up last year in Lawton with Cameron taking the 84-82 victory.
“Our kids played hard again physically,” Head Coach Maurice Leitzke said. “They gave a good physical effort.”
The Aggies played solid basketball for most of the night and finished the game with a team shooting percentage of 47.2%. Dallas Baptist shot just 42.7% in the contest. Cameron took the first half thanks to a late run that gave them their first lead of the game with under a minute left. The Patriots regained the lead and were up by 11 points until late in the second half when another late Aggie run tied the game to go to overtime.
In the third frame Cameron came out strong and held the lead until there was just over 2 minutes left. Dallas Baptist took over thanks to an 8-point run and held on for the victory.
Cameron was out-rebounded 45 to 31 and turned the ball over 16 times compared to DBU’s 15 turnovers. Additionally, the Aggies were called for 27 personal fouls while the Patriots were whistled only 19 times.
“We played well and battled back to send it into overtime,” Coach Leitzke said. “We just didn’t finish and didn’t make plays down the stretch. We didn’t make the plays we needed to in order for us to win the game.”
Junior forward Leslie Malone recorded his eleventh double-double of the season after recording a team-high 23 points on 8-22 shooting. He recorded 10 rebounds and 6 blocks, both game-highs. Malone played 39 minutes and also finished with 4 assists.
Sophomore guard Greg Morgan had an outstanding night after finishing with a game-high 31 points on 12-17 shooting. Morgan was 3-5 from three-point range and 4-5 from the foul line, and had a very impressive game offensively. He also recorded 2 steals, 5 rebounds, and a team-high 6 assists in 45 minutes.
Junior guard Dave Smith shot a solid 5-11 from the field for 12 points. He also recorded 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist. Smith played in 32 minutes against DBU.
“We are right there. We have had so many games that have been decided by five points or less, and had three overtime games,” Coach Leitzke said. “The guys are laying everything they have physically, out on the court. We just need to get over the hump.”
The Aggies travel to Edmond, Oklahoma, this Saturday to take on the rival Central Oklahoma Bronchos in their Lone Star Conference North Division opener. The game tips off at 4:00pm and will be televised nationally on the Internet courtesy of the NCAA. To view the game just visit www.ncaasports.com/dii and select the Cameron game from the menu. The game will be available to view for free.