Lady Aggie frontcourt steps up in OT victory

GAME BOXSCORE»

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Feb. 5) - Melissa Steen's jumper in the lane with 6.7 seconds left in regulation gave the Cameron women's basketball team new life, helping propel the Lady Aggies to a 60-57 overtime victory over Tarleton State Saturday at Wisdom Gymnasium.

Steen finished with a game-high 16 points, helping the Lady Aggies snap Tarleton State's 15-game home winning streak. Frontcourt teammates Joneatta Brown and Christina Buben added 12 and 10 points, respectively, to help give Cameron a 28-16 advantage in points in the paint.

Cameron (9-12, 3-3 LSC North) returns home Thursday to host East Central to start the second round of Lone Star Conference North Division play.

Both teams converted just one field goal in the overtime period. Brown scored just 10 seconds into the extra frame to give the Lady Aggies the lead before Tarleton State missed seven stright shots from the field. The Lady Aggies missed their last four field goal tries in overtime, but hit all four free throw attempts to seal the win. Brown put the Lady Aggies up 58-54 with a pair of charity tosses with 43 seconds remaining, but Katie Crawford pulled the TexAnns within one with a three-pointer with 21 seconds to play. Brittany Cooksey sealed it for the Lady Aggies with a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left.

Tarleton State led 32-29 at halftime, thanks to a 6-of-14 shooting effort from three-point range in the first half. The TexAnns led by five with under two minutes to play in regulation before Brown converted a traditional three-point play to pull Cameron within two at 52-50 with 1:49 left in the second period. Cooksey tied the game a minute later, beating the shot-clock buzzer with a jumper.

The TexAnns regained the lead with 21 ticks left, as Isha Brown was fouled and converted a pair of free throws before Steen sent the game into overtime.

Cooksey finished with 13 points, giving Cameron four players in double figures for the game. Crawford led TSU with 13 points.