From SWOSU Sports
Doug Self, Sports Information Director
WEATHERFORD – A three-point attempt by Cameron with less than two seconds to play was off the mark, allowing the SWOSU Basketball team to earn a 73-71 victory over the Aggies on Wednesday evening inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
After going to the break with a lead of 36-32, the Bulldogs upped their advantage to nine at 45-36 on a lay-in by Reshardd Harris less than two minutes into the second half. SWOSU would hold the lead for the remainder of the game, but they had to hold off two different runs by Cameron that got the Aggies within one point of the lead, the last with 12.1 seconds to play.
In the game’s final four minutes, SWOSU missed the front end of two one-and-one opportunities, failing to capitalize and extend a 71-67 lead. Luke Lewallen made one-of-two free throws to make it 72-69 with 1:10 to play, then was the first player to the floor for a defensive rebound and called timeout to regain possession for the Bulldogs with inside one minute to play.
SWOSU’s next possession ended in a missed three-pointer and Cameron’s Tyler Williams drove to the basket for a lay-in that made it 72-71 with 12.1 seconds to play. Senior point guard Markeise Champion stepped to the line and knocked down one-of-two free throws, forcing the Bulldogs to defend the Aggies for the final 12 seconds to earn the victory. A last-chance shot from Cameron’s JV Long was off the mark and allowed the Bulldogs to leave Wednesday night’s contest with their second straight win.
Devin Pugh scored a game-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting to lead the Bulldogs, while also dishing out a team-best four assists in the win. Reshardd Harris contributed 15 points, four rebounds and three assists while Markeise Champion scored 10 points to go along with three steals.
“We beat a well-coached, very good basketball team tonight,” SWOSU Head Coach Bob Battisti said. “It’s my hope that our guys start believing that we are also a good basketball team, because we are. I was happy with Luke Lewallen’s energy and our team’s resiliency to hang in there and win a close game.”
With the victory, the Bulldogs improve to 2-6 on the year heading into a 3:00 pm matchup on Sunday in Goodwell against Panhandle State.