TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler used a sharp shooting second-half performance to rally from a big halftime deficit, but Cameron held on for the Lone Star Conference divisional win with Saturday's 84-68 victory.
Cameron hit 7-of-8 three-pointers in the opening quarter, opening up a 54-25 halftime advantage before UT Tyler found its stroke from long range with a 6-for-7 third-quarter performance from deep. Lilli Stewart led the way with 3 long-distance makes in the third quarter, sparking the Patriots to a 26-6 rally across the third and fourth quarters to pull within 11 (78-67) with 7:16 to play.
Kelsey Crouse was one of four Patriots in double figures, scoring a team-high 15 points while passing out 3 assists. Stewart finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds, and Beezy Birchette and Tyreesha Blaylock added 10 points apiece for UT Tyler, which shot 55 percent (16-for-29) from the field in the second half, including a 78 percent (7-for-9) clip from three-point range. Cameron's leading scorer was Maighan Hedge, who scored 15 of her game-high 25 points in the opening half and hit 7-of-12 three-pointers in the contest.
With the defeat, UT Tyler fell to 2-9 overall and 0-7 in Lone Star Conference play, while Cameron is now 4-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Aggies are now 1-1 in divisional play, while the Patriots drop to 0-3 within the division, which also includes Texas A&M-Commerce, Oklahoma Christian, Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS), and Midwestern State.
Turning Point: Less than four minutes into the third quarter, Maighan Hedge knocked down one of her seven three-pointers, giving the Aggies a 62-31 lead. However, Lilli Stewart sparked a 26-6 run with a pair of threes about 90 seconds apart, and Carah Burdette closed out the quarter with a three-pointer which cut the lead to 68-52. The Patriots scored the first 5 points of the fourth quarter, as well, closing the gap to just 11 points, 68-57, with 7:16 remaining in the game. Blaylock kept the margin there with a three-pointer with 6:04 to play, making it 71-60, but Hedge drilled back-to-back three-pointers, and Cameron maintained a lead of at least 14 the rest of the way.
How It Happened: Cameron built up a 54-25 halftime lead, and the Aggies led by 32 in the final minute of the second quarter before Tyreesha Blaylock converted a three-point play with 5 seconds left in the half to cut the margin to 29. That set up the Patriots' wild second-half comeback, as Stewart scored 9 points on a flurry of three third-quarter three-pointers in a span of just over three minutes. Kelsey Crouse scored 12 of her team-high 15 points in the second half, as well, helping lead UT Tyler's furious comeback.
UT Tyler Standouts: Kelsey Crouse scored a team-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, hitting her only three-point attempt and 4-of-5 free throws. Lilli Stewart added 12 points, all from beyond the three-point arc as she drilled 4-of-8 from long range, and Beezy Birchette and Tyreesha Blaylock added 10 points each. Aubree Adams was a bucket away from double figures, finishing with 8 points and a pair of blocks. Birchette was the Patriots' leading rebounder, collecting a game-high 9 boards along with a team-high 4 assists. Blaylock also registered 4 assists, and Kylea Johnson collected a team-high 2 steals.
Cameron Standouts: Maighan Hedge led all scorers with 25 points, her sixth 20-point game this season, as she made a season-high seven three-pointers. Amaka Nwakamma came off the bench for 15 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, and Stephanie Peterson also produced double figures off the bench in a 14-point effort. Ava Battese was the fourth Cameron player in double figures, scoring 13 points.
By The Numbers: Kelsey Crouse (15 points) has scored in double figures in four consecutive games, giving her seven games in double figures on the season… Six different players for each team made at least one three-pointer… Cameron posted a 41-35 rebounding edge and produced a 38-20 advantage in bench scoring… The Aggies forced 17 UT Tyler turnovers, which translated to a 21-12 edge in points off turnovers… Cameron hit 7-of-8 three-pointers in the first quarter and 5-of-11 in the second quarter, finishing the first half with a three-point shooting percentage of .632 (12-for-19) and an overall shooting percentage of .568 (21-for-37) … The Aggies finished the game at 46 percent overall (32-for-70) and 49 percent (18-for-37) from three-point range, while UT Tyler finished at 43 percent overall (25-for-58) and 47 percent (9-for-19) from three-point range… Those three-point percentages represented season-highs for both UT Tyler as a team and for a UT Tyler opponent.
What's Next: UT Tyler heads out on the road for its second Lone Star Conference weekend road trip this season, as the Patriots visit Texas A&M-Kingsville (Jan. 9) and Texas A&M International (Jan. 9) next week. The next UT Tyler home game is Thursday, Jan. 16, against Oklahoma Christian.
