Markel Turrell
Staff Writer
Cameron basketball swept a doubleheader in blowout fashion against Western New Mexico is on Feb. 16 in the Aggie Gym.
The women’s team cruised to a 75-62 victory, while the men dominated the Mustangs behind a big second half for an 86-66 win.
Women’s Game
Despite the loss of guard Natalie Heiblieb, Cameron had many players step up, with four players scoring in double digits to lead the team.
Forward Savanna James led the Aggies with 19 points and 15 rebounds on the night. She credited her success to her teammates.
“[The effort] honestly wasn’t anything I was doing tonight,” James said, “but was about my team driving and moving the basketball and finding me in open lanes for easy opportunities. Our team isn’t selfish with the basketball.”
James was especially happy with the guard play on the night.
“We knew that their production was going to have to happen,” she said. “When we found out the news about Natalie, everyone knew they had to step up.”
Guard Charron Montgomery also scored in double figures, contributing 15 points with 8 assists. Forward Jaime Bonnarens used strong shooting to add 14 points, and guard Ava Battese added 10 points.
The Aggies started off quick to jump out to an 8-0 lead. The Mustangs battled back to take a 13-12 lead with 3:31 left in the 1st Quarter. Eastern New Mexico ended the first quarter with a 20-19 lead.
The back and forth first half continued in the second, with the Aggies taking the lead back 26-25 on a Bonnarens jumper. The Aggies held onto the lead throughout the half, taking a 36-32 advantage heading into the locker room.
The Aggies started to separate themselves with a big third quarter run. The team pushed the lead to double digits with a James layup that brought the score to 43-33. The team would eventually go ahead by as much as 19 points.
At the end of the third quarter, CU had outscored the Mustangs 20-7 for a 56-39 lead.
The Aggies held onto a comfortable lead throughout the fourth quarter, starting with an Battese three pointer and a free throws from Montgomery and to mount their largest lead of the night at 62-40 with 6:31 left in the game.
The Mustangs then made their comeback attempt with a 7-0 run to cut the Cameron lead to 62-47 with 4:35 left in the game. But the Aggies kept up their strong play to finish with a 75-62 win.
The Aggies will compete in the Lone Star Conference Tournament on March 2 in Allen, Texas.
Men’s Game
The Aggie men had four players score in double figures, with Tyus Momoh leading all scorers with 18 points. He said he was happy with his performance, crediting his team for his scoring output.
“My teammates kept finding me for threes,” he said.
“Tyler Williams driving to the basketball got the defense to leave me open and he was looking for me for open shots and I appreciate him for that.”
Williams put up a strong performance of his own with 16 points, while Delvonte Pierre continued a streak of good games with 15 points. Trey Hall contributed 14 points to the effort.
The Aggies got the first points of the game with a Williams three pointer. The Mustangs would take the lead back and have it until a JV Long layup put the Aggies back on top 10-9.
This back-and-forth was the first of eight lead changes in the half. But with the game tied at 23, the Aggies went on an 8-0 run to take a lead 31-23 the Mustangs would never get back.
Though the Aggies would fail to score for the rest of the half, they held onto a 31-27 lead as they went to halftime.
The Aggies quickly got the lead back to eight points after a Long layup early in the second half. CU amassed its first double digit lead when Hall made a fast-break layup to put the Aggies up 41-30.
A Western New Mexico 5-0 run cut the lead to 41-36, But the Aggies kept scoring and quickly regained their double digit lead with a Williams three that put the Aggies up 46-36 with 12:41 left in the game.
Williams later scored on a layup to give the Aggies a 55-44 lead to start a 14-1 run that ended with a Momoh three-pointer that gave Cameron the 68-49 lead with 6:43 left to play.
Jordan Lewis gave the men their largest lead of the game at 83-58 with under four minutes to play. The team held on to win 86-66.
The Aggies are looking to close out the season strong ahead of a possible NCAA Tournament berth.
Momoh said there were many keys to the team’s success in the home stretch, particularly their confidence. However, he said they have one goal above all else.
“Our main focus is defense,” he said. “We want to help each other defense and have that lead to transition opportunities of offense.“
The Aggies will hit the court next for the LSC Tournament starting March 2 in Allen, Texas.