WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Jaylan Thomas scored 24 points, all in the second half, and Cameron overcame a 13-point deficit in the final eight minutes at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Monday night to defeat Midwestern State, 88-87.
Thomas was 8 of 10 from the floor, 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, and he hit all four of his 3-point shots in the second half to spearhead the Aggies comeback. Reggie Prudhomme also hit a 3-pointer in the second half as Cameron went 5 of 5 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes.
The Aggies hit six of their final seven shots and finished the night shooting 48 percent from the field, including 10-of-21 shooting from 3-point range.
Cameron used a 15-0 run to take an 81-77 lead with 3:10 to play in regulation after the Mustangs had established a 13-point lead with a
Pierre Sanders step-back jumper with 8:24 remaining.
Midwestern State went nearly five minutes without hitting a field goal after
Reggie Hill gathered an offensive rebound and scored with 7:03 remaining to put the Mustangs in front, 77-66.
Sanders hit a 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining to bring MSU within a point, 83-82. The senior from Hutto, Texas, finished with 15 points, giving him 1,000 points for his career at Midwestern State, becoming the 37th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Will Shepherd made two free throws 21 seconds later, and the Mustangs reclaimed the lead, 86-84. Thomas hit his final 3-pointer with 1:23 remaining, and Lavell Brodnex made two free throws with 45 seconds left to play as Cameron took a four-point lead, 88-84.
Mason Gibson buried a clutch 3-pointer with 36 seconds on the clock, cutting the Mustangs' deficit to one point, but that was the last field goal attempt of the game for MSU. Jaxon Ingram missed a layup for the Aggies with four seconds remaining, and Daylon Andrews gathered the offensive rebound as time expired.
Midwestern State (8-3) lost its second straight game and fell to 2-3 in the West Division of the Lone Star Conference., while Cameron (8-3) improved to 4-1 in conference play.
Shepherd was the leading scorer for MSU with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, hitting 4-of-9 shots from 3-point distance. Gibson pitched in 15 points, and Hill finished with 10 points for the Mustangs, who shot 46 percent from the field.
Midwestern State lost for the first time this season when shooting above 40 percent. The Mustangs were 11 of 26 from 3-point range.
Cameron, which came into the game shooting 71.4 percent from the foul line, hit 18-of-21 free throws, while MSU finished the night 10 of 14 from the free-throw line.
The Aggies hit 33 percent of their 3-point shots through the first 10 games, but went 10 of 21 (48 percent) from long distance against the Mustangs.
Midwestern State was outrebounded by Cameron, 42-33, as Andre Washington and Brodnex each pulled down 10 rebounds for the Aggies.
Hill was the leading rebounder for the Mustangs, grabbing six caroms in defeat. Sanders finished with five rebounds, while Gibson and Shepherd each had four boards for MSU.
Bakari LaStrap scored nine points and dished out seven assists for the Mustangs, who fell to 6-2 at home.
Daylon Andrews scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half, hitting 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes, but MSU led at halftime, 46-45.
Brodnex had a double-double in the victory, scoring 20 points to go with his 10 rebounds.
Midwestern State returns to action on Jan. 4 when West Texas A&M visits D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
--MSUMustangs.com--
