By Rylan Stiles
Staff Writer
The Cameron Aggies rolled into this week with a ton of momentum, arguably the most they have had all season after capturing their first two Lone Star Conference (LSC) wins of the season a week prior.
The Black-and-Gold were fresh off of impressive wins over Oklahoma Christian and the University of Arkansas Fort Smith less than seven days ago.
However, life in the LSC never gets easier; the Black and Gold would be tasked with taking on two top-of-the- class programs with West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian to follow up on their monumental week.
All night, this was a back-and-forth game, as the Aggies continued to make runs to get within striking distance, but the Buffs held Cameron at arm’s length for most of this game.
CU hung in this game until the end, narrowly falling 83-79, despite Thomas logging a career-high as a trio of Aggies finish with double-figures.
“We played hard, they are a good team, they space you out and shoot the ball, they had answers for runs we made,” head coach Kevin O’Connor said following the loss.
“We do not have the depth to score the ball, and we cannot afford to have off nights, we need to shoot the ball better,” he said. CU shot 47 percent from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the arc but struggled at the free-throw line, making their freebies at a 62 percent clip.
When discussing those struggles at the line, O’Connor simply said, “winning players make ‘em. I have seen this team make free throws enough; next time, when given the opportunity, I think we can.”
CU guard Jaylan Thomas was incredible in this one, hitting tough shot after tough shot on his way to 27 points, six rebounds, and two assists while shooting 70 percent from the floor and 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.
The former division one player said the team just has to “execute better” to come away with the win next time.
Reggie Prudhomme made the offense sing, dishing out a team-high six assists with many more left on the table while he also got going in the scoring department posting 16 points in this game on 6-of-9 shooting.
Prudhomme acts as the leader of the team, who O’Connor tabs as “an extension of myself on the court,” and following the tough loss, the Aggies point guard said, “we are going to go in the gym tomorrow, play hard, and get back to work.” The Missouri City, Texas, Native showed a lot of confidence in his teammates following the tough loss.
“Tonight, they did not hit all their shots, but we are going to come back stronger,” Prudhomme said.
Jaden Okon was stellar off the bench and the third Aggie in double-digits as he turns in 17 points, eight rebounds, and plenty of tough finishes around the rim.
West Texas A&M Guard Julius Brown matched Thomas’ 27 points with five assists and as many rebounds to lift the Buffs past the Aggies on Thursday.
Along with Brown, Damion Thornton logged 20 points in 27 minutes while hauling in a team- high seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal while shooting 8-for-15 from the floor.
One of the best sharpshooters in the conference, Zach Toussaint, drilled five triples to log 19 points as the third Buff in double figures.
That scoring outburst from the West Texas trio was part of the defensive laps the Aggies head man discussed after the game, “our game plan coming in was to hold them under 80, which would have been 79, and we’d still be playing in overtime right now,” O’Connor explained, noting that CU understood the tough task of limiting the explosive West Texas A&M offense.
The Cameron University Men’s Basketball team has dealt with a ton of adversity over the past calendar year; they have seen three head coaches in that span, a roster turnover that only left four players behind, injury issues, and back- to-back seasons with 18 or more losses.
While this is yet another loss in the ledger for the Black- and-Gold, there are plenty of positive signs around this CU team.
From the team leadership to Kevin O’Connor providing much-needed stability on the sidelines, the Aggies are poised for a turnaround.
They will play their final two home games of the season on Feb. 9 and 11 against Angelo State and UT Permian Basin, respectively, in the Aggie Gym.
For more information on Cameron basektball and all other Aggie athletics news please visit CameronAggies.com.
