Krista Pylant
Sports Editor
@KristaPylant8
A strong first half by the Lady Aggies paved the way for a 79-54 homecoming victory over Angelo State on Feb. 21 in the Aggie Gym.
Earlier in the week, an Angelo State upset over Midwestern allowed the Lady Aggies to reclaim the second seed in Lone Star Conference play. Cameron used that momentum to return the win against Angelo to ensure the Black and Golds stay near the top of the standings.
After the game, senior guard Jazzmine Robinson said she knew from the beginning that Cameron would secure the win against the Rambelles.
“Going into the locker room,” Robinson said, “everyone had good energy. We were just ready to go out and attack.”
Cameron started the scoring action first after Sasha Carter drove through the Rambelle’s defense to take it to the rim. Angelo State responded with a jumper from Keanna Kelly to knot the score at two.
Angelo State never came close to the Lady Aggies again. Another layup from Carter advanced the score 4-2 and Cameron retained its lead for the remainder of the game.
The Black and Gold’s scoring continued in the first half after a pass over the middle proved costly for the Rambelles. Robinson nabbed the ball and drove up the court on a fastbreak for a layup between two ASU defenders, bringing the score to 8-2.
Even though Cameron leads the conference in three point percentages and field goals per game, the Lady Aggies had trouble recording three-pointers early in the game.
The program’s single season three-point record holder junior Brandi Leal missed her first three shots from behind the arc, but found success on her fourth attempt off a defensive rebound.
Leal said her teammates encouraged her to keep shooting in spite of the slow start.
“They [teammates] give me my energy. They believe in me, and they tell me to keep shooting, so that’s all I had to do – just keep shooting – and then we look and I start making them.”
Leal executed five consecutive three-pointers in the first half, paired with three points earned from the foul line, to lead the team with 18 points overall on the night. Fellow three-point shooter senior Jade Herl also added a successful shot from behind the arc.
Robinson said Leal and Herl’s contributions propelled Cameron’s momentum toward the end of the half.
“The three-pointers gave us a lot of energy,” Robinson said. “They’ve been shooting [amazingly] – can’t really ask much more from them.”
With a 13-0 run toward the end of the half, Carter capped off the hot scoring with a jumper at the buzzer to give CU a 46-26 advantage heading into the locker room.
In the second half, the Aggies never let off of their double-figure lead. Their largest advantage was 25 points from the spread of the final score, 79-54.
Leal said she attributes the win to Cameron’s defense.
“It felt like it was meant to be because pieces are finally coming together,” Leal said. “We know we can beat teams. Honestly, everything that came tonight was because of defense. Shout out to the post, because posts aren’t easy to guard, and they did really well tonight. We got stops and rebounds and that’s what we needed.”
Next, the Lady Aggies will battle Midwestern State for the number-2 seed in the LSC Tournament on Feb. 28 in Wichita Falls, Texas.
According to Leal, good defense and energy will be the key to victory against the Mustangs.
“The way we’re going into it is like any other game.” Leal said. “Except this time, we’re going to beat them. We need it to steal that second seed spot and have a nice little BYE in the conference tournament and just keep going from there.”