Kaley Patterson
A&E Editor
@KaleyKayPatt
On Nov. 15, Cameron fans braced the cold to witness the Cameron men’s basketball team square off against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
The Aggies pulled out a 97-81 win against the Drovers, their second straight victory to start the season.
During the beginning of the first half, the Black and Gold and the Drovers traded baskets. The Aggies racked up points midway through the half giving them a 28-18 lead. Late in the half, USAO kept within 11 of the Aggies.
A three pointer from junior guard Cameron Lee and a dunk from sophomore guard Bruce Barron put the Black and Gold at a 16-point advantage, 53-37. A late Drover basket closed the first half with the Aggies on top, 53-39.
The Black and Gold shot 58.1 percent on the court with eight three pointers. Junior forward Deondre Ray led Cameron scoring with 13 points at the half. Barron and Lee contributed ten points each.
A huge rebounder for the Aggies, senior forward Tank Mayberry started off the second half by receiving his fourth foul of the night.
“It affected me a little bit,” Mayberry said. “I had stay positive and try not to get too frustrated. I had to make sure my teammates knew I was still there to support them, even though I couldn’t go out on the floor and help them.”
USAO heated up the beginning stretch of the second half with a 13-3 advantage over Cameron. The Aggies held a four-point lead over the Drovers with 15 minutes left in the game.
The teams shot back and forth before Cameron went on a nine point run giving them a 17-point advantage with nine minutes left in the half. From that point on, the Black and Gold dominated the court, ending the game with a 97-81 win.
Cameron earned their victory by nabbing 41 rebounds, swatting nine shots and getting 42 points down low. Despite their success, the Aggies turned the ball over 12 times resulting in 14 points for the Drovers.
The Black and Gold shot 58 percent overall, 60 percent from behind the arc and made 69 percent of their free throws. Cameron also received 40 points from off the bench. The Drovers shot 40 percent from the court, but the Aggie’s defense kept them at 27 percent behind the arc.
Ray led the Aggies with 21 points off 6-7 shooting with a 75 percent gain from the free throw line. He also blocked five shots and snagged four rebounds.
Senior guard Desmond Henry finished the game with 16 points. Barron scored 19 points and dished out eight assists, while Lee contributed 13 points with five rebounds.
Junior forward/center Matthew Don and Mayberry pulled in eight rebounds each, leading the team in that category.
The Aggies will return to the court to face off against Arkansas Tech University on at 7 p.m. Nov. 25 in Russellville, Ark. Their next home game will be Dec. 13 against Rogers State.