Jereena Bosket Steal and Layup with 0:31 Left Gives Zias Lead in 65-63 Win at Cameron

LAWTON, OK — Jereena Bosket (Sr., F/P, Las Vegas, NV/Barstow CC) stole the ball and scored on a layup with 31 seconds left, giving Eastern New Mexico University the lead in a 65-63 victory over Cameron University, in a Lone Star Conference crossover game Jan. 8. The win upped the Zias’ record to 5-7 on the season. Cameron dropped to 6-6. Crossover games do not count in the LSC divisional standings.

Bosket’s steal and layup put the Zias in front, 64-63. After Brittany Cooksey of Cameron missed a field goal with 12 seconds left, Laci Lee of ENMU (Jr., G, Portales, NM/Portales HS) grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Cooksey. Lee missed the first free throw with eight seconds left, but sank the second, giving the Zias their final two-point margin.

Cameron led by 13 points, 60-47, with 6:09 left, but scored just three points, all on free throws, the rest of the game. The Lady Aggies were in front, 63-57, following two free throws by Tiffany Williams with 2:43 remaining, but never scored again.

Bosket started Eastern’s decisive 6-0 run with a jumper at the 2:24 mark. Lee added a layup with 1:29 left, as the Zias pulled within 63-61.

Williams was fouled by Bosket with 1:09 left, but failed on two free throw attempts. Heather Brown (Fr., G, Hereford, TX/Hereford HS) cut the lead to a single point, 63-62, when she converted the second of two free throws for ENMU after being fouled on an offensive rebound with 44 seconds left.

On Cameron’s next possession, Bosket stole the ball from Christina Buben and completed a fast break with the go-ahead layup. Bosket finished the night with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She was 8 of 12 from the floor. She also blocked two shots and has two steals.

Lee was Eastern’s leading scorer and rebounder with 22 points and 12 boards. She was 6 of 16 on field goals, including 3 of 6 on 3-pointers. She was 7 of 9 on free throws.

Elizabeth Richards (So., F, Texico, NM/Texico HS) also provided the Zias with double-digit scoring. She tallied 14 points before fouling out with 2:43 to go. Richards also blocked two shots.

ENMU point guard Kristi McGuire (So., The Woodlands, TX/UT-Pan American), played 12 minutes, but did not start, after missing the past two games with an ankle sprain. She scored two points and had one assist in her return to the lineup.

Cooksey and Kimberle Woods tied for team scoring honors for the Lady Aggies with 17 points each. Woods also supplied eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Cooksey was credited with five rebounds. Cooksey also hit 3 of 6 three-pointers, helping Cameron finish the game with eight trifectas on 16 attempts.

Buben contributed nine points and five boards for Cameron. The Aggies shot just 34.6% on the night (18 of 52), including 33.3% (7 of 21 in the second half). The Lady Aggies made 19 of 27 charity shots.

Cameron led by 13 points, 28-15, with 5:30 left in the first half. The Zias cut the margin to five points, 30-25, on two free throws by Lee with 2:11 on the clock. Woods scored the final basket of the half for Cameron, as the Lady Aggies took a 32-25 halftime lead.

ENMU hit just 31.0% of its field goals in the first 20 minutes (9 of 29). In the second half, however, the Zias improved to 48.1% from the floor (13 of 27). Eastern opened the half with a 7-0 run to tie the game, but gave up the next eight points, and trailed 40-32 with 13:37 to go.

The victory ended a three-game losing streak for the Zias. ENMU lost to Colorado State University-Pueblo, 74-72 in overtime, on Dec. 18, fell to Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 61-54, on Jan. 3, and lost to East Central University, 71-66, on Jan. 5. The Zias were tied with SOSU and ECU in the final two and a half minutes of each game.

Eastern will play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday (Jan. 10). Game time in Weatherford, Okla., is scheduled for 1 p.m. (MST). The Zias will also be on the road on Tuesday (Jan. 13), when they will take on West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, starting at 5 p.m. (MST).