Cameron looks to continue winning streak at home Inbox

For Immediate Release

January 29, 2020

Cameron University Athletics

Kenton Means – Sports Information Director

LAWTON, Okla. — After back-to-back road wins last week, the Cameron women’s basketball team looks to keep their streak going at home when they host Texas A&M International and Texas A&M Kingsville on Thursday and Saturday.

Starting 5:
1. Last week the Aggie women won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 7 and Dec. 14; they are now an even .500 in both Lone Star Conference (6-6) and division (3-3) play and sit in ninth place in the league standings.
2. In CU’s win over UAFS last Thursday, sophomore Maighan Hedge scored 29 points, which was her fourth straight game with 28-plus points; Hedge currently leads the LSC with 20.1 points per game and has averaged 24.3 points over the last six contests.
3. Currently on an eight-game losing skid, Texas A&M International enters their first LSC battle against the Black and Gold with a 7-12 overall record and a 4-9 conference mark in their first season under head coach Nate Vogel.
4. The Dustdevils are led by a pair of seniors who are averaging right around 12 points per game, 5-8 junior Patrycja Jaworska (12.7 ppg) and 5-11 junior Nicole Heyn (12.2 ppg).
5. In their first season under head coach Michael Madrid, Texas A&M-Kingsville sits near the bottom of the LSC with a 3-14 overall mark and a 1-12 record against league opponents; they are averaging just 49.1 points per game, which is last in the LSC.

Last time out:
Cameron secured back-to-back wins during their first conference road trip to UAFS and Oklahoma Christian. The Aggies won both games thanks to clutch fourth quarter performances from Amaka Nwakamma and Stephanie Peterson. Against OC, while Hedge led CU with 29 points, it was the senior Nwakamma who was the hero, as she outscored the Lady Lions 11-1 in the final two minutes of play to secure the 73-68 win. Two days later, Hedge was limited to just eight points, which allowed fellow underclassmen Peterson, Michaela James, and Whitney Outon to step up. Peterson led the squad with 18 points, scoring 12 in the final quarter with 10 of those points coming from the charity stripe. James added a career-high 13 points on 4-6 shooting from the field, while Outon added a career-best 12 points with seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.

About the Aggies:
With their recent success, the Cameron women have drawn themselves just four games away from moving to .500 on the season. They have already gotten to .500 in both conference and division play, which has them in ninth in the LSC standings; the top 12 teams make the league tournament at the end of the season. The Aggies have the third best offense in the conference, scoring 71.1 points per game and lead the league in three-point shooting, making 9.2 treys per contest at a 33.7 percent clip. CU also averages 14.3 free throws per game, making them at a 72.7 percent clip, which is also third best in the LSC. Their struggles come in the turnover battle and on defense, as they turn the ball over 18.5 times per game which results in 19.8 points for their opponents and they rank last in the LSC with an 80.1 scoring defense.

Hedge leads the league and the squad with her 20.1 points per game while also averaging 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per outing. Senior Ava Battese has averaged 16.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 13 games played for CU, while Nwakamma is averaging 10.1 points and a team-high 5.5 boards for the Black and Gold.

Scouting the Dustdevils:
After going 7-4 during the 2019 half of the season, Texas A&M International’s eight-game losing streak has dropped them to below .500 in both overall record (7-12) and league (4-9) play. They are averaging 65.7 points per game and shooting 40 percent from the field, 29 percent from three, and 67 percent from the charity stripe. TAMUI gets out-rebounded by an average of six rebounds per game and they struggle to hold on to the ball, turning it over 21.2 times per contest. On defense, the Dustdevils do excel at forcing turnovers, as they average 12.6 steals per game, but they still allow their opponents to shoot 44.5 percent from the floor.

Jaworska and Heyn are the only Dustdevils averaging over 10 points per game, and both are averaging over 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest. 6-0 senior Christine Ortega averages a team-best 4.7 rebounds to go along with 9.2 points per game, while 5-10 sophomore Josselin Geer averages 8.8 points for her squad.

Scouting the Javelinas:
Texas A&M-Kingsville opened the season with a 1-7 record, and after winning back-to-back games against Texas Woman’s and UT Tyler are currently on a five-game losing skid. They are averaging just 49 points on offense and allowing 60.3 points on the defensive end. The Javelinas are shooting 34.8 percent from the field, 25 percent from three, and 59 percent from the foul line. They average just 10.7 assists compared to 21.3 turnovers , which result in 18.5 points for their opponents. Defensively, they average 7.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per outing.

The Javelinas have just two players with scoring averages of over 10 points in Bryna Thompson (12.8 ppg) and Ravae Payne (11.9 ppg), but Thompson has only played four games this season and Payne has not seen the court since Jan. 16. Additionally, Jalynn Johnson averages 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds, while 5-10 forward Anastacia Mickens averages 7.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Javelinas.

Who has next:
The Aggies are back on the road next week as they visit Texas Woman’s on Feb. 6 and Tarleton on Feb. 8. They then return to Lawton for their final homestand of the season, which begins on Feb. 13 against UT Tyler.

Kenton Means, ‘15

Sports Information Director – Cameron University

2800 W. Gore Blvd., South Shepler 512

Lawton, OK 73505

Office – (580) 581-2303

Cell – (580) 583-2210

Fax – (580) 581-5537

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