STEPHENVILLE – Last year when Cameron came to Wisdom Gym, the TexAnns overcame a 17-point deficit with 9:49 left in the game to knock off the Aggies in overtime.
 
Thursday night when Tarleton welcomed Cameron for the first time since that game, the deficit wasn't quite as large and no overtime was needed but it didn't make the finish any less exciting as the TexAnns overcame a 14-point deficit to knock off the Aggies 86-81 in Wisdom.
 
The first half was one to forget defensively for the purple and white as Cameron shot .571 from the floor as the led the entirety of the opening half, including as much as 14 points with 1:34 left in the second quarter. A layup from Baylee Peck cut the deficit to 12 heading into halftime with the TexAnns trailing 47-35.
 
In the new half, Cameron once again pushed its lead to 14 before Hailey and Bostad went to work offensively.
 
With Cameron leading 55-42 with just under six minutes left in the third, Hailey started a run of eight unanswered points – all scored by Hailey and Bostad – pull the TexAnns within five. Cameron briefly pushed back to seven but Tarleton got a three-ball from Peck and a quarter-ending layup from Hailey while Cameron could only add a pair of free throws in the final 2:40 to send Tarleton into the fourth trailing by four.
 
Tarleton inched closer over the first five minutes, but it seemed that Cameron always had an answer for the TexAnn baskets.
 
But with 4:50 left in the game and Cameron leading by one, Tarleton finally broke through as freshman Nina Alvarez connected on a three-pointer to give the TexAnns their first lead of the game at 70-68. Cameron tied it with a pair of free throws but Tiara Tatum countered that with another triple on the offensive end for the final lead change of the night.
 
The Tatum three ball started a 10-2 TexAnn run over the next two minutes to put Tarleton up 80-72 with 1:48 left in the game. Cameron pulled within three points on two different occasions the rest of the way but the TexAnns went 6-8 at the free throw line over the span to keep the Aggies at bay.
 
Hailey, who set a career high with 28 points earlier this season against Cameron, led the way with 25 points on 7-10 shooting the floor, 1-2 from downtown, and 10-12 at the free throw line to go along with 10 rebounds for her 19^th career double-double. In two games against Cameron this season, Hailey is now averaging 26.5 points per game.
 
Katie Webster added 19 points and nine rebounds in the comeback victory while Bostad (14) and Kylie Collins (10) also cracked double figures and combined for 24 points. Baylee Peck led the bench scoring with eight while Tatum (5), Alvarez (3), and Trejouir Wilson (2) rounded out the offense. For the game, Tarleton shot .439 from the floor and .857 at the free throw line. Tarleton held the Aggies to just .343 shooting from the floor in the second half.
 
Tarleton will go for its fifth straight win Saturday afternoon when the TexAnns renew their rivalry with Midwestern State in Wisdom Gym at 2 p.m.