By Megan Bell
Video by Jack McGuire
The Lady Aggies fought hard this past week to try and reclaim their seat atop the Lone Star Conference after losing both games the previous week.
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Black and Gold took on Tarleton State in the Aggie Gym. The Aggies were determined to show that they could compete with one of the best teams in the nation.
The Lady Aggies faced the Texanns with a purpose, to come out victorious. The Black and Gold kept the score close as they attempted to upset the conference leaders and beat the infamous Texanns; however, the Aggies lost their focus in the last ten minutes of the game, losing to Tarleton 68-49.
“We just lost it with 10 minutes to go (in the game),” said Head Coach Tom Webb. “We gave up some plays in transition, and some other stuff … but that was the ball game. They are a good team. There is a reason they are undefeated in the league.”
Tarleton started out the game testing the waters, then attacking as they found their footing. Cameron struggled, but as usual, battled through adversity refusing to give up. The Texans went into the locker room at half time with a five point lead.
The Texanns took ownership of the second half. They gave the Aggies many opportunities to snatch a lead and close the distance on the scoreboard, but the Black and Gold failed to capitalize. Coach Webb said the Lady Aggies got crushed on the glass, but he is continuing to stay positive throughout the conference.
“The biggest thing is to get better, stay upbeat and keep fighting,” he said.
On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Lady Aggies headed out to the home gym of Texas A&M Commerce. The Black and Gold focused on regaining their confidence, as well as their position in the winner’s bracket.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/36422060[/vimeo]The Lady Aggies had their hard work pay off as they defeated the Lions 63-51.
Cameron grabbed an early lead by playing tough defense and consistent offense. The Black and Gold held the Lions to 10 points the entire first half, proving why the Lady Aggies hold the 11th ranked defense in the nation.
The Lions tried to come back in the second half and steal a win, but were unable to compete with the Black and Gold’s persistent offense. Coach Webb was content with the win.
“We will take it,” he said. “In the first half, we executed really well, but we did not rebound well. Sometimes these games are hard to come out with urgency in the second half, and we did not, but tonight it was okay.”
The win makes this the Lady Aggies’ first winning season since the 2005-2006 team that finished 15-13.
Coach Webb said that he is proud of how far his women’s team has come in the conference, as well as the season. He said that the team heavily relies on their point guard, senior Nicole Pendarvis, and that he is very proud of how she has held the team throughout the season.
“The last couple weeks have been hard,” Coach Webb explains. “With Nicole (Pendarvis) at point, she really has to lead us and bring us together and fight. She does a good job at communicating and understanding what we (the coaches) want. She will be the key down the stretch.”