Men Tripped by Cameron
February 11, 2009
LAWTON, Okla. - Southwestern Oklahoma State University quickly scrambled in the final seconds and put together a late charge but were unable topple Cameron University, losing 80-77 in a men's basketball game Wednesday in Lawton.
The loss left SWOSU's overall record at 14-9 and 5-3 in the Lone Star Conference. The Bulldogs remain in second place in the North, one half game in front of both Cameron and Texas A&M-Commerce. The top four teams all advance to the conference postseason tournament in Bartlesville, Okla.
Kenneth White, who led the Bulldogs with 25 points, tried to send the game into overtime but his shot from the right wing bounced off the rim as the horn sounded. White had earlier given SWOSU a glimmer of hope when he drilled a three-pointer to cut Cameron's lead to 78-75 with eight seconds left.
Cameron hit two of its next four free throw attempts and Clarke Hale sunk both ends of a free throw to keep the margin at three in the final seconds.
SWOSU's rally came after Cameron had taken what had seemed to be a comfortable lead at 76-68 with only 1:08 to play. White started the charge with a pair of free throws with 55 seconds to play followed by two makes by Kendall Smith with 44 seconds remaining.
Cameron, which improved to 11-11 and 4-3 in the division, made just 64 percent of its free throws (16-25) and allowed the Bulldogs to creep back in the game. Meanwhile, SWOSU smartly converted on 21-of-23 attempts from the line for a nifty 93% success rate.
SWOSU led the entire first half and took a 41-30 advantage into the break. The Bulldogs led by as many as 16 points when Hale swished a three-pointer to make it 50-34 with 17:17 to play.
Cameron fought its way back and tied it the game for the first time at 56 when Roosevelt Lovett scored with 8:29 to play. The Aggies asserted themselves from that point and kept a small lead until watching it nearly evaporate thanks a determined push by the Bulldogs.
SWOSU will next play Wednesday, Feb. 18 at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.