Basketball teams fall in exhibitions

     The Cameron men's and women's basketball teams both suffered setbacks on Thursday in preseason exhibition action. Coach Garrette Mantle's Aggie men dropped an 89-57 decision to USAO in Chickasha, while Coach Dick Halterman's Lady Aggies lost to NCAA Division I Tulsa by a score of 84-59.
     Both teams found themselves facing large halftime deficits on Thursday. The Lady Aggies trailed Tulsa 50-25 at the break, while the Cameron men entered the halftime locker room down by 13 at 43-30.
     The Lady Aggies were able to hold their ground, however, equalling Tulsa's 34-point output in the second half. Sophomore Brittany Cooksey led the Lady Aggies with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. Senior Danelle Ladd was the only other Cameron player in double figures, connecting for 11 points in the game. Sophomore Melisa Steen led CU with nine rebounds and produced the Lady Aggies' only two blocked shots.
     Four of Tulsa's five starters scored in double figures, led by Candice Brewer's game-high 23 points. Reserve Jilian Robbins chipped in 12 points, as well, giving the Golden Hurricane five players with 10 or more points in the game. Tulsa out-rebounded the Lady Aggies 46-40 and forced 21 Cameron turnovers.
     In the men's contest, USAO built a 40-point second-half lead before settling for the 32-point win. Wayne Gibson posted a game-high 19 points for the Drovers and USAO produced a 46-37 rebounding edge.
     Cameron had three players score in double digits, led by Chad Crawford's 14. Newcomer Trevor Lemezs added 13 and Marcus Girtmon had 11 as the Aggies shot just 38.8 percent from the floor in their first outing of the preseason. Cameron also committed 19 turnovers in the game, compared to just nine for the Drovers, who counted the game as a regular season contest and improved to 2-2.
     The Aggies connected on just one three-point attempt in the game, finishing 1-of-15 from behind the arc while being out-scored by USAO 30-3 from long range. The Drovers also owned a 28-14 advantage in second-chance points and outscored Cameron 40-24 in the paint. USAO also scored 24 points off Cameron turnovers.
     Both Cameron teams will begin the 2003-04 regular season with tournament action next weekend. The Aggie men travel to San Angelo, Texas, to participate in the Wells Fargo/Chili's Tipoff Classic on Nov. 21-22, while the Lady Aggies will take part in the St. Edward's Classic the same days in Austin, Texas.