Aggies fall to UCO in heartbreaker

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LAWTON, Okla. (Feb. 5) -  A 22-point lead and a 60 percent shooting effort in the first half weren't enough to sustain the Aggies Thursday night. Cameron watched as Central Oklahoma methodically chipped away, handing the Aggies their 11th straight defeat with an 87-81 win in Lone Star Conference North Division action at Aggie Gym.

Cameron, which visits defending national champion Northeastern State on Saturday, dipped to 5-15 overall and 0-5 in league play.

Things appeared to be heading in the right direction for Cameron early on. The Aggies shot 60.5 percent (23-of-38) in the opening period while building a commanding lead. Chad Crawford's bucket in the paint at the 7:33 mark made it 45-23.

But Cameron, which had already lost twice this season when leading at halftime - including Saturday's 84-72 setback to Southeastern Oklahoma, saw it all unravel in the second period. By the time Reggie Paul scored inside for the Bronchos with 16:21 to play in the second half, Cameron's lead had dwindled to just four points at 58-54. The Aggies responded, scoring the next four points and eventually getting their lead back to double-digits at 73-61 with 9:25 to play.

But a 9-0 UCO run got the Bronchos back in it again and a pair of free throws by Craig Wrice at the 3:52 mark knotted the score for the first time since a 13-13 deadlock early in the first half.

With momentum on their side, the Bronchos closed the game on an 8-2 run to get the win.

Crawford led all players in the game with 31 points, hitting 12-of-15 from the field. Wallace added 17 and Marcus Girtmon had 12 for the Aggies. Central Oklahoma (7-13, 3-2) was led by Deshone Henderson's 26 points and eight rebounds.