January 26, 2008
Late free throws give CU men big win
TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma (January 26) – A late free throw gave the Aggie men’s basketball team (3-15, 1-2 LSC North) the point they needed to knock off the Northeastern State RiverHawks (8-10, 2-2) for their first conference win of the season. The teams battled back and forth in a game that was extremely suspenseful. The Aggies took the lead for the final time with only a second left on the clock and won the game 78-77.
“Obviously it’s great to win,” Head Coach Maurice Leitzke said. “We have been in ten games that have been so close. In those games we only lost by an average of five points so it’s great to win one of these close ones. Our kids never gave up and they played every possession all the way through.”
Cameron went into halftime with a 40-36 lead but was outscored in the second half 41-38. The Aggies were down by 2 points with 22 seconds left in the game, but a key lay-up by sophomore guard Greg Morgan tied the game at 76. Morgan was called for a foul with 5 seconds left sending NSU’s Steve Neal to the foul line. Neal hit only one of his free throws, but it looked as if the RiverHawks would win it 77-76.
On the next possession, Morgan attempted to win the game with a buzzer-beater but was fouled by Neal. That put Morgan at the charity stripe with just one second left on the clock. Morgan came up huge in the clutch as he hit both of his free throws giving Cameron the lead, and eventually the win, 78-77. NSU was not able to get a shot off and lost their tenth game of the season.
“Morgan hit two huge free throws, and he made the play before that to tie it up,” Coach Leitzke said. “He had a very impressive game and made our last four points.”
Both teams shot very well from the field with Cameron finishing with an impressive 50.8% shooting percentage and Northeastern State a 48.2%. CU was out-rebounded 32-28 but was able to out-shoot NSU 59-56. Additionally, the Aggies turned the ball over 8 times and committed only 13 personal fouls, while the RiverHawks recorded 9 turnovers and were whistled for 14 fouls.
“It’s huge to win on the road in conference play,” Coach Leitzke said. “It is just a great win. It really shows the character of our kids to battle and hang in there throughout.”
Morgan finished the game with 18 points on 7-14 shooting. He also recorded 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a team-high 7 assists. Morgan never left the court during the game as he played in all 40 minutes.
Junior guard Dave Smith also finished the game with 18 points, scoring them on 6-11 shooting including 3-4 from three-point range. He also recorded a steal and 6 assists in 38 minutes of play.
“Morgan was extremely solid and had a very good game. He was a good catalyst for us,” Coach Leitzke said. “Dave Smith had a really outstanding game too. All nine guys played tonight and each had very important minutes. Leslie (Malone) also had another good game, but the minutes by all nine guys were extremely valuable.”
Malone recorded 14 points in the game on 6-14 shooting. He also recorded 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a team-high 6 rebounds. Malone played in 26 minutes against NSU.
Cameron’s next game is at home in Aggie Gym this Wednesday, January 30, at 8:00pm. The Aggies host the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm who fell to the Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce today on the road by the score 61-43. The Cameron University ROTC Color Guard will present the colors prior to the National Anthem before the women’s game at 6:00pm.