Lady Aggies set to open 2003-04 campaign

     LAWTON, Okla. (Nov. 4) -- After plugging along through the 2002-03 season with just seven players in uniform, this year's version of the Cameron women's basketball team already has two things in its favor to start the year:  experience and depth.
     Coach Dick Halterman's Lady Aggies will get their first opportunity to gauge the importance of both on Wednesday, as Cameron hosts the Oklahoma Flyers in a free exhibition game scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m., at Cameron's Aggie Gym.
     No admission will be charged at the event and no advance tickets or passes will be required.
     The Flyers are a collection of former collegiate standouts with Oklahoma ties. The group is led by former Oklahoma guard Rosliand Ross, who was a first-round draft choice of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks in 2002. Former Sooners Jamie Talbert and Sunny Hardeman also grace the Flyers' roster, as does Norman native Stacy Hansmeyer, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut.
     Cameron returns four of five starters from last year's squad, which finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Lone Star Conference North Division standings. The Lady Aggies were 11-15 overall and 5-7 in league play, despite having only two bench players available the entire season.
     Leading the list of returning players is senior guard Kimberle Woods. The Dallas native earned first team All-LSC North honors a year ago after leading the Lady Aggies in both scoring and rebounding. She averaged 13.5 points and 7.54 rebounds per game and also led the team in free throw shooting percentage, converting nearly 78 percent of her charity tosses on the year. Woods was also the team's assists leader with 72, and posted a team-high 52 steals.
     Also returning for the Lady Aggies are junior forward Christina Buben, a Duncan product who started every game for Cameron in 2002-03, and junior guard Antonia White, who earned honorable mention all-conference honors while averaging 10.3 points per game a year ago. The Lady Aggies also regain the services of Bristow native Brittany Cooksey, who redshirted last season after earning LSC North Freshman of the Year honors with the Lady Aggies in 2002.
     Halterman also has added an experienced group of newcomers, including one NCAA Division I transfer and a former NAIA national champion, to the mix. Melisa Steen joins the Lady Aggies after spending one season at Oklahoma State University, where she was originally recruited by Halterman, who spent 19 seasons at OSU prior to his arrival at Cameron in 2002. Another transfer, former Oklahoma City University standout Danelle Ladd, brings championship experience, having been a part of OCU's 2002 national championship squad.
     Wednesday night's contest is the first of two scheduled exhibition games for the Lady Aggies. Cameron will travel to Tulsa to take on NCAA Division I Tulsa University in an exhibition game on Nov. 13. Halterman and the Lady Aggies will begin regular season competition on Nov. 21-22 in the St. Edward's Classic in San Antonio, Texas.