February 20, 2008
CU women lose nail biter to SOSU
DURANT, Oklahoma (February 20) – With just over a week left in the 2007-2008 season, the Cameron Aggie women’s basketball team (4-20, 1-8 LSC-North) traveled to Durant, Oklahoma, to take on the Savage Storm of Southeastern Oklahoma State (14-10, 5-4 LSC-North). The teams battled the entire game, but SOSU came out on top 82-76. The Aggies appeared to be out of the game after the first half, but came seconds away from the victory via a strong second half.
“We had it won,” Head Coach Kevin Hackerott said. “Our kids played great tonight. The lead went back and forth and we gave ourselves a chance to win. If not for a few plays down the stretch we could have won the game. We definitely had some kids step up.”
At halftime Cameron found themselves down 39-27. After regrouping in the locker room at the half, the Aggies came out and outscored the Savage Storm 49-43 in the final frame. CU fought from as many as 19 points down to actually take the lead with just 2:11 left in the game. The Aggies and Savage Storm traded one-point leads until SOSU took the lead for good with a mere 30 seconds left.
“We went in and talked at halftime about the adjustments we needed to make,” Coach Hackerott said. “We thought it was a winnable game. We did better in transition and went out and played aggressively and with confidence. Our kids responded in the second half.”
The two squads were just about even across the stat line as both teams took 55 shots from the field. Cameron went 25-55 while Southeastern went 26-55. Rebounding was also nearly equal with Cameron taking the edge, 33-31. Additionally, the Aggies recorded 20 turnovers to the Storm’s 19 turnovers. CU shot 45.5% in the game with SOSU shooting 47.3%.
Five Aggie players scored in double-figures tonight, with senior guard Tiffany Williams recording a double-double. She finished with a team-high 19 points on 6-14 shooting with a team-high 10 rebounds. She also finished with an assist and a pair of steals in her 28 minutes of play.
“You need more players to step up when you go on the road if you want a chance to win,” Coach Hackerott said. “We feel like we should have won. There were a few things that were out of our control.
Sophomore Megan Atkins also recorded a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with a block and a steal. She scored 7 points on 3-4 shooting in 25 minutes on the court.
A pair of Aggies both scored exactly 10 points as junior guard Jasmine Parr and senior forward Sarah Moore went 2-8 and 4-6 from the floor, respectively. Parr also recorded 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in a team-high 38 minutes of play. Moore chipped in a pair of rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes.
Junior guard Kristi Taylor was another of Cameron’s players to record double-digit scoring numbers as she put up 13 points on 4-5 shooting. She also contributed 5 assists, a rebound, and a steal in her 36 minutes on the floor.
Evelyn Taylor, another Aggie junior guard, was the final CU basketballer to finish tonight’s game with more than 9 points. Taylor scored 12 points on 5-11 shooting. She also recorded a rebound and a block in only 15 minutes of play.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Coach Hackerott said. “For the season it’s been, our girls have kept fighting. You can tell a lot about people when things aren’t going well. We’ve got a good group with a lot of character that keeps fighting. I am very proud to coach them.”
Cameron goes on the road only once more this season. Their next match-up is this Saturday afternoon as they host the RiverHawks of Northeastern State University at 2:00pm. This weekend is Cameron’s annual Homecoming/Alumni/Parents/Hall of Fame weekend and will feature a number of activities.