This past week proved to be a gauntlet, as Lady Buffs basketball lost in heartbreaking fashion to LSC frontrunner Midwestern State 58-55 on Feb. 6 at the First United Bank Center before holding off a vicious Cameron Aggie rally 55-53 to rebound back into the win column in Lawton on Feb. 9.
On Feb. 6, the Lady Buffs held off an early press to stay within striking distance of the Mustangs, creating a low scoring affair early in the contest. While MSU was plagued with early shot clock violations, the Lady Buffs had trouble with missed opportunities and turnovers. Led by sophomore forward Chontiquah White, who scored 10 points off her post play, the Lady Buffs and Mustangs tied seven times and switched leads four times in the first half alone. This back and forth battle resulted in a 28-27 Midwestern lead going into the break.
However, the Mustangs exploded out of the gate with an 8-0 run early in the second half, culminating in an official review with 11:45 left in the game over a foul by White, which ruled in favor of Midwestern. This prompted the pink-clad home crowd to become hostile, leading into a tough physical game by both squads. Fueled by the WT faithful in the stands, the Lady Buffs clawed back from a 46-34 deficit led by junior forward Devin Griffin and junior guard Casey Land. Despite the late rally, Midwestern avoided an overtime bout as Griffin missed the game-tying three-pointer, leaving the score at 58-55.
In the effort, the Lady Buffs were led by Griffin, who scored 19 points while White and Land each earned 12 points. The Mustangs were led by Kirsti DeGelia, who netted 16 points as teammates Andrea Carter tallied 12 points and Shatoia Gober hauled in 10 points.
“The girls fought hard through some tough circumstances,” Head Coach Krista Gerlich said. “We seemed pretty tight during the first ten minutes, but seemed to settle down and took care of the ball better. Foul trouble hurt us in the second half having to sit [Chontiquah White] for a while, but we still had an opportunity at the end and I’m proud the girls put themselves in that situation.”
On Feb. 9, the Lady Buffs came back from their tough loss to jump out to an early lead against the Aggies of Cameron, taking a 33-30 lead going into the half. Once the second half started, the Lady Buffs created an 8-0 run to create spacing against the Aggies. Yet the Aggies were far from finished, as they stormed back to come within two points as the game’s final seconds ticked away. Although the Lady Buff lead collapsed as their field goals diminished, they were able to use Aggie miscues and free throws to seal a 55-53 WT victory.
Devin Griffin once again led the Lady Buffs with 19 points, while junior guard Raven Gerald contributed with 12 points in the winning effort. Cameron was led by Chelsea Stamp, who recorded 14 points.
“It was too close courtesy of us, but we’ll take the win any time,” Gerlich said.
While Midwestern State continues to lead the Lone Star Conference with a 13-2 conference and being 18-3 overall, the Lady Buffs right their ship with a 9-6 LSC tally with an overall record 13-11. Cameron falls to 3-12 in conference play, possessing a 4-17 overall record. WT resumes its road stretch with a visit to Denton to take on the Texas Woman’s University on Feb. 13 before returning to the First United Bank Center on Feb. 21 to host Incarnate Word at 6 p.m.
