Rockets Take Advantage of Woeful Warriors

HOUSTON, TX -- The Golden State Warriors are a good tonic for what ails a struggling team. The Rockets took advantage of what the Warriors' call defense and picked up a 119-97 victory in front of an announced crowd of 12,845 fans.

Trevor Ariza scored 14 points in the first quarter; and, the Rockets (26-22) led by as much as 21 points (33-12) in the opening period which seemed to indicate a rout was just beginning.

Not quite. The Warriors (13-34) finished the first quarter outscoring the Rockets 13 to 6 and trailed by a more manageable 14 points (39-25) at the end of the opening 12 minutes. The 39 points were a season-high for the Rockets in the first quarter.

Monta Ellis scored 11 points in the first period; but, he heated up in the second stanza and dropped in 16 points on 6 for 10 field goal shooting.

The Rockets fumbled the ball away eight times in the second period; and, Ellis drained a three-point shot to pull the Warriors within one point (50-49) with 2:17 left in the half.

Aaron Brooks scored six points during a 9-0 run as the Rockets were able to finish the shaky second quarter on a positive note and take a 59-49 lead into halftime.

"I thought the biggest part of the game was the last two minutes of the second quarter," Rick Adelman said. "When we went from one up to ten up going into halftime.

"Overall, it's a win we really needed to go into this weekend. Glad, we got it."

The Rockets extended the run with a 9-2 burst at the start of the third period capped off by a three-point basket by Shane Battier. Houston led 68-51 after Battier's three-pointer.

The Rockets led 83-68 at the end of the third quarter.

Chase Budinger (14 points) and Carl Landry (12 points) dominated the fourth quarter with a combined 26 points. They combined to shoot 10-for-10 in the quarter.

The Rockets shot 60.9% (14 for 23) from the field in the period and led by as much as 28 points (117-89) in the quarter.

Monta Ellis started the fourth quarter with 34 points. Ellis finished the quarter with 34 points. Ellis played the first two plus minutes of the period and sat the rest of the quarter as the Rockets cruised to the win.

The Rockets, yes, the Rockets, out rebounded the Warriors 57 to 35.

"We felt that that's something we could do at both ends of the court," said Rick Adelman. "We hurt them the first two games on the boards. We wanted to make them a jump shooting team. If we did that, they are not a great offensive rebounding team; so, we should control it and that's what we wanted to do.

"When you're playing a team like this, your concentration has to be consistent. There were three or four times where we tried to go for steals in the backcourt; and, that opens it up in the transition game. You can't do that."

Adelman added, "Overall, it's a win that we really needed to go into this weekend. Glad, we got it."

Suns Edge Rockets in Overtime

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets fell behind early; led in the middle; fell behind late; forced overtime; but, ultimately, lost to the Phoenix Suns 115-111 Sunday night in front of announced crowd of 17,165 fans.

The Suns raced past the Rockets early in the first quarter. Phoenix scored 12 fast breaks in the first quarter.

"The guys really played hard," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "Really competed. We didn't shoot it well all night long. We hung in there and had a chance to win the game."

Houston (25-22) trailed Phoenix (28-21) 28 to 21 at the end of the first quarter and 60-48 at halftime. The Suns shot 48.8% (21 for 43)  from the field in the opening half compared to just 34.7% (17 for 49) for the Rockets.

"It's hard. The guys played their tails off. In the first half, we were a step slow. We were a step behind them. I thought they (the Suns) were quicker. They did a lot of good things; and, that's why we were down.

"But, the third quarter, the game changed. We've got to figure out a way to start the game and play it 48 minutes through."

The Rockets trailed by 14 points (64-40) before Trevor Ariza drained a three-point basket to start a 19-4 run. Aaron Brooks made two three-point shots during the run; and, Luis Scola put back a lay-up to give the Rockets a 69-68 lead with three minutes and 16 seconds remaining the second half.

The Suns finished the third quarter with a 11 to 4 run to take a 79-73 into the fourth quarter.

During the fourth quarter, Brooks and rookie Chase Budinger combined for three consecutive three-point baskets which tied the game at 85.

Amare Stoudemire was an unstoppable force in the fourth quarter. Stoudemire scored 11 of the Suns 21 points in the period.

Trailing 97-94, Brooks drove baseline; gently touched Steve Nash, Nash tumbled to the court; and, Brooks calmly drained a 16-foot jump shot. Nash protested to the refs (too much) and was called for a technical foul. Brooks drained the free throw and tied the score at 97 with 1:18 remaining.

Nash put the Suns ahead with a three-point bucket just 10 seconds later.

Neither team scored until Trevor Ariza made a very tough three-point basket from the right corner tie the game at 100 with just 11.3 seconds left.

Nash squandered a chance to win the game as he was weak shot attempt in the paint fell short.

The overtime session stayed close throughout the extra five minutes.

Trailing 111-110, Brooks had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. Brooks drove past Nash to the basket; and, AB lofted a shot off the glass which bounced off the rim.

"I just missed it," Brooks said after the game. "Great play. I got to the rim. I make that shot nine out of ten times. The ball kind of slipped. That's how it goes. I missed the shot."

Suns' forward Jared Dudley rebounded the miss and made both free throws for a 113-110 Suns' lead.

Instead of allowing the Rockets to attempt a game-tying three-point shot, the Suns fouled Brooks with 4.3 seconds on the game clock before he attempted a shot. Brooks made the first free throw; and, intentionally missed the second attempt. The ball caromed off the rim straight back to Brooks; however, Brooks was called for a lane violation because he entered the paint before his shot hit the rim. (The call was correct.)

Nash was fouled; and, swished two free throws to seal the victory for the Suns.

The Rockets shot just 37.7% (40 for 106) from the field for the game.

"We had a really tough night, overall, shooting the ball," said Rockets forward Shane Battier. "Especially, in the first quarter; and, the Suns really make you pay for missing shots. Once we started making some shots, we slowed them down a bit and that allowed us to get back in the game. I'm proud of the way we fought. We fought hard. We could have gave in to them. We just didn't make enough plays at the end to win the game."

Coleman's 37 Helps Houston beat Herd -- w/ Video

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- Aubrey Coleman scored 37 points and picked up 13 rebounds as the Houston Cougars defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd 81-66 in front of an announced crowd of 4457 fans.

Houston (11-9 overall, 4-3 in C-USA) struggled on the glass in the first half as Marshall (15-6, 4-3) out rebounded the Cougars 28 to 17. The Coogs also made just 13 of 37 field goal attempts in the opening half; but, Houston led 32-27 at halftime. Coleman scored only nine of the 32 points.

Coleman went into attack mode in the second half. He raced down the court at will; banked in soft jump shots off the glass twice; and, repeatedly, attacked the rim.

"It's a zone that I get in," said Coleman after the game. "When I'm working out at night by myself, I train my mind to do exactly what I'm going to do in the game. I work out like I play."

The Coogs started the second half with a 23 to 8 run to lead by 20 points. Freshman forward Kirk Van Slyke hit his second jump shot of the run to give UH a 55-35 lead.

Marshall trimmed Houston's lead to 13 (59-46) at the 8:54 mark; but, the Colemans (Aubrey and Sean - no relation) combined for six straight points to stretch the lead to 19 points. Houston cruised to victory over the final 6:47.

In addition to Aubrey's 37 points, Maurice McNeil scored 13 points (6 for 9 from the field) in 23 minutes; and, big man Kendrick Washington and guard Kelvin Lewis each chipped in 10 points.

"Kendrick played well," answere Kelvin Lewis. "Kendrick's been playing well these last couple of games. He's finally getting into the shape that we need him.

"He's pounding down low; he's playing great defense; he's being a force. He's knocking people around and making it tough for the big men to get postion. Just being a pest down low; and, knocking them around and showing them that he's not going anywhere. He's doing a great job."

The Cougars shot 53.6% (15 for 28) from the field in the second half to help pick up the victory.

Houston travels to El Paso, TX, Wednesday, February 3, to face the Miners. Tip is set for 9 p.m.

Brooks Leads Rockets Over Blazers

HOUSTON, TX -- Aaron Brooks helped snap the Houston Rockets' three-game losing streak Friday night with 33 points as the Rockets held on to slip past the Portland Trail Blazers 104-100 in front of 16,129 fans.

The Rockets (25-21) struggled in the first quarter missing a lot of good looks at the basket and trailed the Blazers 28-18 at the end of the opening quarter. Brooks (eight points) and Trevor Ariza (seven points) combined for 15 of the 18 total points.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 12 points in the quarter for the Blazers (27-21).

The second quarter was a completely different story. The Rockets limited the Blazers to just 26.1% (6 for 23) field goal shooting while shooting 52.6% (10 for 19). Carl Landry scored 11 points in the second quarter and Brooks chipped with nine points as the Rockets outscored the Blazers 31-19 in the period and took a 49-47 lead at halftime.

Both teams hit their stride on offense in the third quarter. The Rockets made 12 of their 19 shots (63.2%); and, the Blazers shot 9 for 16 (56.3%).

Luis Scola scored 10 points; and Brooks, once again, scored nine.

Leading 78-71 after three quarters, the Rockets offense sputtered early in the fourth period; and, the Blazers outscored the Rockets 13 to 6 to knot the game at 84 with 6:30 left in the ball game.

Scola made two free throws; Landry scored a put-back slam dunk; and, Brooks drove in for a lay-up to stretch the lead to six points (90-84) at the five minute mark.

Over the next 99 seconds, Portland's Rudy Fernandez scored five points to trim the Rockets lead to two points (94-92); but, Landry controlled the paint and slammed home one basket and converted a lay-up to give the Rockets a 98-92 lead at the 1:46 mark of the game. Brooks made two foul shots for 100-92 lead with just 29.1 seconds remaining; and, the game seemed well in hand.

However, sandwiched around two missed free throws by Carl Landry, Rudy Ferndandez made two free throws and swished a long step-back three-point shot to pull the Blazers within three points (100-97). Brooks made two free throws; but, Fernandez responded with another long step-back three point bucket to trim the Rockets' lead to just two points (102-100) with 8.5 seconds remaining.

Landry was fouled; made the first free throw; and, missed the second foul shot; however, Shane Battier tapped the long rebound out to near midcourt. Trevor Ariza rebounded the loose ball and was fouled. Ariza split two free throws; but, the Rockets owned a 104-100  lead with 6.3 seconds on the clock.

Portland failed to score in the final seconds; and, the Rockets picked up the very much needed victory.

Fernandez scored a game-high 25 points (9 for 14 from the field including 5 for 6 on threes).

"I'm just completely glad to get the win," said a relieved Rick Adelman. "I thought the guys for the whole game stuck in there, played hard and made a lot of shots down the stretch there. You know, (Rudy) Fernandez was terrific, knocking 3s down. We just seemed to try to make it difficult but you know, I'll take the win after the last three games. It was a win we needed and we got and hopefully we can build off that."

Landry finished the game with 21 points (6 for 13 from the field but just 9 for 14 from the foul line).

"We missed a lot of free throws down the stretch as I'm sure everyone could hear or see," Landry said. "We just made it tough on ourselves but at the end of the day we came up with a victory and that's what we want."

Aaron Brooks added, "We just kept fighting throughout the whole game. When we got down, we pushed back and we got stops."

The Rockets continue their six-game homestand Sunday night with game number five -- versus the Phoenix Suns. Tip is set for 6 p.m.

Rockets Sign Conry; Taylor to D-League

HOUSTON, TX -- Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced that the team has assigned guard Jermaine Taylor to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In addition, the Rockets have signed Rio Grande Valley guard Will Conroy to a 10-day contract, marking Conroy’s fourth-career call-up to the NBA.

The Rockets assigned Aaron Brooks to the D-League during Brooks' rookie season; and, the club is hoping this assignment will prove successful for Taylor as well.

Nuggets Down Rockets

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets raced out to a big lead after one period; but, in the end, the Denver Nuggets picked up the 97-92 victory in front of an announced crowd of 16,357 fans.

The Rockets (24-21) scored nine fast-break points in the first quarter and led the Nuggets 31-16 after the first 12 minutes.

Then, the game screeched to a halt in the second quarter. The Nuggets worked the ball down low to center Nene; and, Nene delivered with 13 points. The Rockets were called for 13 fouls in the quarter. Yes, 13 fouls. The Nuggets attempted 16 foul shots in the quarter and made 15.

"The fouls slowed us down a lot," said Aaron Brooks after the game. "It was a very boring game in the second quarter. It seemed like a lot of practicing free throws in the second quarter; but, you know, you have games like that."

Meanwhile, the  Nuggets (31-14) were whistled for six fouls which resulted in six free throw attempts for the Rockets. The Rox made four attempts.

Denver outscored the Rockets 34-20 in the second period; but, the Rockets led 51-50 at halftime.

Aaron Brooks played just 6 minutes and 41 seconds in the first half because he was whistled for three fouls. Brooks scored just two points in the half.

Brooks scored six points in the first 1:39 of the third quarter before picking up his fourth foul.

Trevor Ariza picked up the slack and score points in the third. The Rockets outscored the Nuggets 23-22 in the third.

Brooks opened up the fourth quarter with six points; and, the Rockets led the Nuggets 80-79 before the offense went ice cold.

The Rockets missed eight straight shots; and, the Nuggets took advantage and outscored the Rockets 10-0 before Scola hit a 13-foot jump shot for a 89-82 Denver lead at the 4:53 mark of the ball game.

Two turnovers and four missed shots in a two minute stretch doomed the Rockets' chances of a comeback.

"Tonight, we didn't play very well," said Shane Battier after the game. "We couldn't keep them off the free throw line. They shot 40 (actually 39) free throws; and, they shot 44 percent (from the field). That really slowed us down after we played really well in the first quarter."

The Nuggets' 39 free throw attempts were the most free throws attempted by a Rockets' opponent this season. Denver made 29 free throws which matched the Rockets' opponent season high.

Brooks led the Rockets with 22 points (in just 20 minutes). Luis Scola added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Trevor Ariza scored 19 points and grabbed 10 boards. Ariza shot 8 for 21 from the field; but, he only attempted six three-point shots.

"I was going to be more aggressive tonight," Ariza said. "I've got to find this rhythm and try to get things back in order offensively; but, tonight it didn't help at all because we didn't win."

The Rockets have lost three straight home games; but, head coach Rick Adelman said, "Our guys played hard. We just had that drought again in the second quarter where we couldn't make a shot. We were just back and forth. They got a little run in the fourth quarter. We just have to stay with it."

Hawks Fly Past Rockets

HOUSTON, TX -- The Atlanta Hawks blew open a close game with a strong finish in the second quarter and cruised to a 102-95 victory over the Houston Rockets Monday night in front of an announced crowd of 14,998 fans.

"The end of the first half really hurt us," said Rick Adelman after the game. "It was a pretty tight game; and, they get that run at the end of the first half and got the lead. They just maintained it the rest of the way. We could never, never break through. We got the lead down to seven at one time; but, that was it."

Tonight's loss was the third in the last four home games for the Rockets (24-20).

"We just have to get back at it," Adelman added. "I just told them that they're going to have tough times over the course of the season; and, we're kind of running into that right now. We got to find a way to work our way through it."

Atlanta (29-14) forward Joe Johnson drained a long step-back three-point shot to put the Hawks ahead 46-44 with 3:35 left in the second quarter. The Hawks closed out the quarter with nine more points to lead the Rockets 55-44 at halftime.

The Hawks stretched the lead to 15 points (65-50) in the third quarter; but, the Rockets showed signs of life late in the quarter as Kyle Lowry and Carl Landry attacked the basket; drew fouls; and converted four straight free throws to help outscore the Hawks 23-22 in the third stanza.

The Rockets kept within arms' reach of the Hawks early in the fourth; then, a three-point bucket from Lowry and two more made free throws from Landry trimmed the Rockets' deficit to six points (84-78) with 6:46 left on the game clock.

But, the Hawks' Joe Johnson broke down the Rockets defense; passed to an open Mike Bibby behind the three-point line; and Bibby swished the three to put the Hawks up by nine points. After Johnson hit a tough pull up jumper to push the Rockets deficit back to 11, Landry and Brooks converted two lay-ups to pull within seven points (91-84). 

However, Bibby scored five points during an 8-0 Hawks' run to take a 99-84 lead and send what was left of the crowd to the exits with 2:46 left in the ball game.

"They played a great game," Aaron Brooks said of the Hawks. "They did exactly what we thought they were going to do - switched a lot of things. It seemed like one part of the game got away from us; and, we were trying to climb out of that hole. But give them credit. They made shots when they needed to. We went on a run; they went on one; so, that's how some games go."

Josh Smith (9 for 16 from the field) led the Hawks with 22 points; 20 rebounds; four steals; and four blocked shots. Johnson (8 for 16) added 20 points; six boards; and four assists.  

Carl Landry led the Rockets with 16 points (4 for 12 from the field). Landry shot 8 for 9 from the foul line.

Landry acknowledges this part of the season being a low point; but, he remains optimistic.

"This is pretty much the lowest point yet for us this season; and, we will get better. I'm sure we will bounce back."

The Rockets continue their six-game homestand this Wednesday versus the Denver Nuggets.

Rockets Never Lead as Bulls go Wire-to-Wire

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets followed up an impressive road win Friday night with a porous defensive effort Saturday night versus the Chicago Bulls; and, the Bulls picked up 104-97 victory in front of an announced sell-out crowd of 18,119 fans.

The Rockets never led in the game. Heck, after the opening score of 0-0, the Rockets never tied the game.

"If you want to win on the road, you have to back them with wins at home," said Rockets forward Luis Scola after the game. "Without winning today, yesterday's win doesn't mean a lot; so, it was pretty disappointing."

The Bulls' offense dominated the Rockets defense for much of the game; however, in the first half, the Bulls looked like the Jordan / Pippen-led Bulls from the championship years. Chicago (20-22) shot 63.4% from the field in the first half including a ridiculous 70.0% (14 for 20) from the field in the second quarter. The Bulls outscored the Rockets 30 to 20 in the opening 24 minutes.

"Very disappointed in the way we came out and played. As good as we were last night, we just came out and we thought we had all day to get in the game," said Rick Adelman. "Sixty-four percent - they shoot in the first half with 64 points."

The Rockets trailed the Bulls 64-52 at halftime.

The Rockets (24-19) tightened the defense in the second half and limited the Bulls to 40 points.

After Taj Gibson's slam dunk gave the Bulls an 11 point lead (97-86) at the 5:27 mark of the fourth quarter, the Rockets outscored the Bulls 11-2 to trail 99-97 with 96 seconds remaining in the game.

After Aaron Brooks clanged a rushed three-point shot at the 1:08 mark, Chicago's Derrick Rose posted up Brooks and scored an 11-foot step back jumper to give the Bulls a four point lead with 30 seconds remaining.

Brooks missed a driving layup seven seconds later; and, Gibson pulled down his career-high 14th rebound. Rose made two free throws; and, the Rockets did not score the rest of the ball game.

Chicago's Brad Miller led all scorers with 25 points. Miller replaced Joakim Noah in the starting lineup. Noah sat out the game with a sore left foot.

The Rockets could not stop Miller. Miller scored inside and outside seemingly at will.

"I didn't know Joakim was hurt until about nine minutes before the game. I have confidence in knowing the way Houston plays; and, my shot felt good."

The Rockets were led by Carl Landry's 22 points off the bench. Brooks and Scola each scored 20 points.

The Rockets shot just 40.0% (34 for 85) from the field; and, the Bulls blocked an opponent's season-high 12 shots.

Rockets center Chuck Hayes summed up the loss to the Bulls: "It was really frustrating that after such a great, inspring win that we had last night, to come out here, our awareness and our discipline just was not there. You can alway pick up your energy; and, the energy picked up in spurts. But, our awareness just was not there."

Ice Cold Shooting Costs Coogs versus UCF

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Cougars shot a frigid 25.4% on "Guys Night" at Hofheinz Pavilion Wednesday night and lost to the UCF Knights 78-71 in front of a frustrated crowd of 3578 fans.

Despite 30 points from Aubrey Coleman, the Cougars were never really in the ball game. Coleman shot 7 for 18 from the field but 16 for 18 from the foul line.

Houston (10-8 overall, 3-2 Conference USA) trailed UCF 34-23 at halftime; and, honestly, the Cougars were fortunate to trail by just 11 points at halftime. UCF shot 57.7% (15 for 26) from the field in the first half; scored 26 points in the paint; and outrebouned the Cougars 22 to 12. The 10 first-half turnovers by the Knights came the ball game close.

The Cougars forced the Knights to commit 14 more turnovers in the second half; but, the Cougars made just 10 of 41 field goals for just 24.4% shooting. The Cougars did make 26 of 31 free throws for the majority of their 48 second half points.

After the ball game, Aubrey Coleman said the loss was "Embarrassing."

Coach Penders said, "I'm not embarrased because that's basketball. You have to give UCF credit for playing a good game and maybe they had something to do with us playing a bad one."

Coleman told the media he believed some of his teammates "had a lack of focus and took UCF light".

Kelvin Lewis described the loss as frustrating and disappointing.

Houston head coach Tom Penders disagreed with Aubrey Coleman's assessment about the team's lacking focus.

"That should never be an excuse. Focus. How can you not be focused when you play 16 league games and we had two very good practices in a row," said Coach Penders.

Penders added, "I just thought our kids, for some reason, were tight."

UCF (10-8, 2-2) was led by Marcus Jordan's 23 points. Jordan (son of "His Airness") made all 9 of his field goal tries including a couple of flip shots reminiscent of his famous dad.  Forward A.J. Tyler scored 19 points (8 for 17 from the field and Dave Diakite added 13 points  while guard A.J. Rompza chipped in with 10 points and five assists.

The Knights were whistled for 31 fouls while the Cougars picked up 23 fouls.

UCF shot 50.9% (27 for 53) from the field for the game and only picked up 12 assists; however, the Knights outrebounded the Coogs 49 to 38 for the ball game.

Listen to Coach Penders' post-game press conference.

Rockets Eke out OT win over Bucks

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- The Houston Rockets made life more difficult Monday afternoon versus the Milwaukee Bucks; but, the bottom line is the Rockets picked up a 101-98 overtime victory in front of 17,187 fans on MLK, Jr. Day.

"Good to get the win," said Rick Adelman, after the game. "We really got sluggish in the second half. We ran enough plays to win the game. I saw some good things; and, things we just need to keep working at."

In the first quarter, the Rockets continued their porous defense from Friday night as the Bucks ran a clinic in the first six minutes and scored 12 points in the paint to lead 18-8.

"First quarter was not good," Adelman added. "The first six minutes were not good. It was everything we worked on. It's not going to be easy We got the win. We got things we have to work on and correct. We have to keep  moving on."

The Rockets (23-18) trailed the Bucks (16-23) 34 to 27 after the first quarter. Both teams shot better than 60 percent from the field. Milwaukee shot 63.6% (14 for 22, 4 for 8 on threes) while the Rockets shot 64.7% (11 for 17) from the field.

The Rockets' reserves slowed down the Bucks in the second quarter and scored 27 of 31 points as the Rockets outscored the Bucks 31-17 in the period. Chase Budinger scored 12 points in the quarter.

Luis Scola led the Rockets with a season and game-high 27 points. Scola also pulled down 15 boards.

Scola scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Bucks had trouble defending him on the low block. Unfortuntately, the Rockets shot a woeful 6 for 22 in the quarter; and, Milwaukee outscored Houston 22-21 in the period. The Rockets led 79-73 heading to the fourth period.

After a very slow start, Carl Landry scored 10 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter and the overtime session.

"We need Carl all the time. Carl has to find a way. He seems to be kind of lost out there. When he gets in the game, he's got to get to spots and demand the ball and continue to play through it. It was good to see him get going in the fourth period and the overtime."

Landry admitted, "I've been struggling; but, I have still been positive about the outlook on everything. I'm just continueing to work; and, I'm getting double-teamed. That is something I haven't seen since college; and, I have to adjust. I'm in the process of doing that."

The fourth quarter was an example of points at a premium. The Rockets shot just 3 for 20 from the field and scored 12 points while the Bucks were red-hot in comparison -- 41.2% (7 for 17) from the field.

The Bucks played a zone defense much of the fourth period; and, the Rockets failed to move without the ball and collapse the zone and missed shot after shot.

Aaron Brooks hit a floating jumper to put the Rockets up 87-84 with 4:22 remaining in the quarter; but, Bucks' rookie guard Brandon Jennings made three-point shot over Brooks to tie the game at 87.

Landry drained to free throws; but, Jennings hit a long two (foot barely on the three-point line) to tie the score at 89. After two misses by the Rockets, Luke Ridnour made a fast-break layup to give the Bucks a two point lead with 1:41 on the game clock.

Scola tied the game at 91 with two made free throws with 1:04 on the clock. Neither team scored the final 64 seconds. Jennings had a chance to win the game; but, he dribbled down the shot clock and launched a 28-foot three-point jumper which clanged off the rim.

Landry scored the first five points in overtime and blocked a shot by Jennings. Scola hit an open jumper to give the Rockets a 100-93 lead with 2:46 on the clock.

Carlos Delfino drained an open three-point shot to trim the Rockets lead to four; then, the Rockets committed two straight shot clock violations before Bucks big man Andrew Bogut tipped in a miss to cut the Rockets lead to 100-98 with 33.8 seconds remaining.

Brooks split two free throws which allowed the Bucks to set up a play with 8.6 seconds on the clock.

Jennings received the inbounds pass; dribbled off a high pick; penetrated; and passed the ball to the corner to a wide open Ridnour. Ridnour's three-point shot rimmed out; and, the Rockets picked up the hard fought win.

"The last play is really irritating that they missed the three on," a frustrated Adelman said. "We talked exactly what they were going to do; and, we make a mental mistake and open up. Luckily, he didn't make the shot. Those types of things happen in the first quarter; fourth quarter; they all pile up.

We did enough to win the game."

Owls Lose to Memphis

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- The Rice Owls played hard and battled Saturday night versus the Memphis Tigers; however, the Tigers picked up the 80-68 win in front of 3,483 fans.

The win is the Tigers' 64th consecutive regular season conference win tying Memphis with the Kentucky Wildcats from 1945-1950.

The Owls (6-11 overall, 0-4 C-USA) were led by Trey Stanton's 18 points and Arsalan Kazemi's 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Despite the double-double, Kazemi wanted to get the victory.

"I told them (his teammates) that we give this effort everyday, we can get wins."

The Tigers (13-4, 3-0) were led by Elliot Williams' 32 points. Williams was spectacular throughout much of the ball game.

Williams' three-point bucket broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish in the ball game.

The Owls outrebounded the Tigers 39-32; however, the Owls scored just 12 second-chance points off of 18 offensive rebounds.

"We had 18 offensive rebounds," said Owls head coach Ben Braun after the game. "If we could convert of half of those; either convert or get fouled, that makes a difference. We can't come away empty-handed."

Memphis led 39-29 at halftime. Williams scored 18 points in the first half.

Kazemi was very active in the first half; and, his effort produced eight points (4 for 4 from the field); five rebounds; and three steals in 18 minutes.

The Tigers kept making runs in the ball game; but, the Owls stayed close in the game because of mental toughness.

"Memphis kept making run after run after run," Coach Braun said. "But, our guys kept battling. It's really a positive for our team. A lot of teams would have been blown out; but, our team never backed down. We never blinked. We kept battling back. We kept fighting back; and, that's got to be the way we play all the time."

The Owls host the SMU Mustangs Wednesday, January 20, at 7 p.m; and, the Owls will try to pick up their first conference win of the 2009 - 2010 season.

NBA and NBPA Contribute $1 M to Haiti Relief Effort

from the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association:

NEW YORK -- The National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players Association announced today that, in response to the recent tragedy in Haiti, they will contribute $1 million to support the relief efforts. The NBA and the Players Association will join forces with longtime community partner UNICEF and other relief agencies to provide emergency assistance to the estimated three million victims.

“NBA players are deeply affected by this tragedy,” said National Basketball Players Association President Derek Fisher. “We hope our contribution helps provide immediate relief to those suffering in Haiti.”

Players' Only Meeting helps Cougars Stop Miners

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars picked up a much-needed victory Wednesday night over the UTEP Miners 75-65 in front of an announced crowd of 2,862 fans.

Houston (9-7 overall, 2-1 C-USA) held the Miners without a single field goal for 11 plus minutes. The Miners scored just four points (all made free throws) the final 10:05 of the first half before big man Arnett Moultrie made a jump shot at the 18:38 mark of the second half.

Houston's "junk" defense gave the UTEP (10-5, 1-1) fits throughout the first half. The Miners shot a woeful 28.1% (9 for 32) from the field in the game's opening 20 minutes.

"It was a combination defense," said Houston head coach Tom Penders. "We were playing some guys tight. Sometimes we were playing a loose man-to-man with three guys and two guys really tight. Then, we went to a zone with three guys and two guys, whatever; and, the kids worked on it the last couple of days.

"We did a lot of positive things tonight and the kids played together."

The Cougars led the Miners 37-24 at halftime; but, the Miners scored the first eight points of the second half to trim UH's lead to five points (37-32) with 17:19 remaining in the ball game.

UH freshman forward Kirk Van Slyke swished a three-point bucket to stem the tide; and, senior Kelvin Lewis drained a three of his own to put the Cougars ahead by 11 (43-32) in the blink of an eye.

The Miners worked the ball inside to big man Derrick Caracter and Caracter's effectiveness down low helped the Miners pull within four points (49-45) at the 12:13 mark.

Houston's Aubrey Coleman drained a three-pointer to start a 12-2 UH run and helped keep the Miners' at a comfortable distance the final seven plus minutes of the game.

After the game, Aubrey Coleman mentioned a players' only meeting which helped get the players focused on the importance of tonight's game versus UTEP as well as look within himself and decide what each player can improve to help the Cougars win games the rest of the season.

"We knew we had to get this win," Aubrey said. "Everybody came in (to the game) locked win. We had a team meeting til 11 o'clock last night just to make sure everybody knew how important it was that we win this game. We stuck to our game plan perfectly."

AC scored a game-high 22 points while teammates Maurice McNeil and Kelvin Lewis each produced double-doubles. McNeil picked up his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards while Lewis scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.

"Coach has been telling me to rebound more," Lewis said. "Help the team out and get us more possessions. Certain shots I shot today didn't really fall; so, I wanted to stay on the floor and help the team out another way by playing good 'd' and getting rebounds."

Lewis and McNeil credited teammate Sean Coleman for organizing the two hour players' only meeting.

"Sean took the meeting into his own hands," McNeil added. "He made everybody go into a circle and say what's important to them this year. Everybody just opened up."

Lewis said, "Sean is one of the three captains -- me, Aubrey and Sean. It (Sean's leadership) might not show on the court at times; but, he's a leader on and off the court. He helps us -- even if he's on the bench. He helps with our defensive mistakes. Sean is a big leader on this team."

AC summed up the intent of the meeting, "Everybody has to focus on what they have to do. Take responsibility."

Aubrey became the 43rd Cougars' player to score 1000 points in his UH career with his first made three-point basket in the first half. AC was more pleased to get the win.

"That's what it's about, to get the win."

Video of UH's postgame press conferences are on The HRR's Facebook Fan Page.

USA Select Basketball International Tour is coming to Houston

If anyone is interested in participating, check it out:

All men's basketball players are invited to attend the USA SELECT BASKETBALL INTERNATIONAL TEAM TRYOUTS April 24, 2010, in Houston, Texas. This is a great opportunity for young male players to get the exposure they need to secure European contracts. European GM's, coaches, scouts, and agents will be present.

This is a National event. They travel all across the country scouting talent, selecting players for their travel team and assisting in securing professional basketball contracts in Europe. You don't want to miss out on this opportunity.

We look forward to seeing you in April. You can find more details at www.usaselectbasketball.com.

Deadline to register is April 19, 2010.

Contact LaQuita Thompson --
(xtremeheatsports@gmail.com).
www.xtremeheatsportsmgnt.com

iHoops Announces Partnership with the AAU

I'm passing along this information.

iHoops, the official youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and NBA, and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) have agreed to have the AAU become an official program partner of iHoops and to endorse iHoops educational and overall basketball programming efforts.

As part of the partnership, AAU will play a prominent role in promoting the iHoops coach education program and will encourage its member basketball coaches to participate in the online education program through www.iHoops.com. The partnership also includes cross-promotional opportunities through each organization’s websites and opportunities for exposure at select AAU basketball events.

“We're pleased the at the AAU has chosen to work with us to develop educational and basketball programming for iHoops.com," iHoops CEO Kevin Weiberg said. “The AAU Board of Directors is very serious about improving the quality of non-scholastic basketball and in showing leadership in making a positive difference for coaches and student-athletes.”

AAU President Bobby Dodd said, “The AAU is pleased to become an official program partner with iHoops. We are in full support of the iHoops initiatives and look forward to initially concentrating on the coaches’ education program. The AAU applauds the efforts of the NCAA, NBA and WNBA in taking steps to enhance and expand the amateur basketball experience. “

Currently at www.iHoops.com, coaches can find a variety of information and best practices for teaching the game, training tips, tools for team communication and other helpful information. Future program offerings will include the opportunity for coaches to take online coaching courses and receive a certificate of completion of the course through iHoops.com.

About iHoops
iHoops is the official joint youth basketball initiative of the NCAA, NBA and the WNBA. Its mission is to establish a structure and develop programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in America in order to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience of the participants. For more information on iHoops programs go to www.iHoops.com.

About AAU
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was founded in 1888 and conducts over 38 sports at the grassroots level ranging from ages 3-99. In the youth program, a $12 membership allows participation in over 38 sports. The AAU partnered with the Walt Disney World Company in 1995 and serves as one of the anchor tenants to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Sports For All, Forever. www.aausports.org

Strong Second Half Surge Helps Coogs Rout Rice -- with AUDIO

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- The Houston Cougars blew open a close game at halftime with a second half surge to overwhelm the Rice Owls Wednesday night 83-66 inside Rice's Tudor Fieldhouse in front of an announced crowd of 2,069 fans.

Houston (8-6 overall, 1-0 in Conference USA) was led by junior forward Maurice McNeil's double-double (23 points and 13 rebounds). McNeil also blocked six shots; dished out two assists; and picked up one steal for good measure.

McNeil's dominance inside helped the Cougars outscore the Owls 42 to 22 in the painted area.

"Forty-two points in the paint is probably one of the top productions in the paint against us," said Owls head coach Ben Braun after the game. "We only got 22 points in the paint; and, that's a little disappointing."

The Cougars jumped to an 8-0 lead to start the game; but, the Owls re-grouped and bounced back with an 11-2 run to lead 11-10 with 14:29 left in the first half.

The score stayed close the rest of the first half; and, the Coogs took a 38-34 halftime lead into the locker rooms.

Leading 43-39 in the second half, Houston senior guard Kelvin Lewis drained consecutive three-point baskets during a 10 to 2 UH run to give the Cougars a 12 point lead (53-41) with 14:05 left in the ball game.

Then, the Cougars began working the ball inside to Maurice McNeil and Kendrick Washington; and, the big men answered the call with a combined 15 points during a 24 to 13 blitz to give the Cougars a 23 point lead (77-54) at the 4:45 mark.

"I've been waiting for the day that I could use them together; and, tonight was the night," said UH head coach Tom Penders.

Trailing by 23 points, Owls freshman point guard Tamir Jackson led a late aggressive spurt which helped make the final score a bit more respectable.

Jackson finished the game with a team-high 19 points. Cliff Ghoram added 15 points. Arsaan Kazemi led the Owls with 14 rebounds (including seven offensive boards -- most coming off his own missed shots around the bucket).

Aubrey Coleman scored 22 points for the Cougars followed by 18 points (7 for 13 from the field) from Kelvin Lewis and 11 points and 10 assists from point guard Desmond Wade.

"Desmond Wade did a beautiful job running our offense and heading our defense," said Coach Penders.


Post-game Press Conferences

Listen to Coach Penders' post-game press conference.

Listen to the Owls' post-game press conference featuring Coach Ben Braun; Tamir Jackson; and Lawrence "Cliff" Ghoram.

Rockets Edge Mavs

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- The Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks put on quite a show Thursday night in front of an announced sellout crowd of 18,306 fans; and, the Rockets' fans left happy as the Rockets held on and defeated the Mavs 97-94.

The game featured a little bit of everything: 26 shot attempts by Aaron Brooks; a 3 for 12 shooting night from Dirk Nowitzki; extended zone defense from the Mavs; a techincal foul called on mild-mannered Shane Battier; and, most definitely clutch shooting.

"Obviously, just a great win. Our guys effort was tremendous tonight," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "They made big plays when they had to; got a big stop at then end there; played through a lot of stuff. I was really happy to finish the year like that."

The Rockets (20-13) held the Mavericks to 17 points (8 for 23) in the first quarter to match the Rockets' opponents' low for the first quarter.

The Mavs' offense got on track in the second quarter; however, the Rockets still outscored the Mavs 32-30 in the second period to lead 56-47 at halftime.

The Rockets pushed the lead to 56-42 early in the third quarter; but, the Mavericks (22-13) switched to a zone defense which began to befuddle the Rockets. The Mavs capitalized and began to creep back into the game.

"The zone is not a great defense if you attack it right; and, I thought we stood way too much. I don't like standing and just taking stand still threes. We have to go insdie, outside."

The Rockets led by eight points (78-70) at the end of the third quarter; but, the Mavs started the fourth quarter with a 7 to 2 to trim the Rockets' lead to 80-77 and result in a Rockets' timeout.

Carl Landry came up big with two strong lay-ups; however, Rockets' killer, Jason Terry,  scored five points to tie the game at 86 with 5:39 left in the ball game.

Landry answered with a three-point play; however, Nowitzki converted a three-point play as well to knot the game at 89 at the 4:52 mark.

Both teams combined to miss eight jump shots over the next two plus minutes; before, Shane Battier ran the baseline and found an open spot in the Mavs' zone and launched a three-point shot over Nowitzki which nestled in the bucket to put the Rockets up 92-89 with 2:11 in the ball game.

"We were struggling against the zone a little bit," said Battier about his shot. "And, we didn't get very good ball movement. I wasn't too happy with my shooting (4 for 12 overall, 2 for 9 on three); but, it was a play where I knew I would be open in the corner if I ran a certain cut. Luckily, my teammates saw me; and,I got a good look. Dirk was running at me; so, I put a little extra arch and I think that helped it go in the basket."

Nowitzki misssed a 12-foot jump shot; and, Aaron Brooks drained a three-point shot to give the Rockets a six point lead with 95 seconds left in the game.

Shawn Marion scored a layup for Dallas; but, Landry hit a 15-foot jump shot in front of Nowitzki. Dallas' Josh Howard made two foul shots to trim the Rockets' lead to 97-93 with 1:03 on the game clock.

After Aaron Brooks missed a three-point attempt, Shane Battier chased down the loose ball; however, his right foot landed out of bounds. Battier screamed to the refs he was pushed out of bounds by Nowitzki; and, apparently, Battier protested one time to many because referee Bob Delaney gave Battier a technical.

"I don't know what I said," Battier claimed to the media after the game. "I'm going to let this (the technical foul) one die a thousand deaths."

Nowitzki made the three to cut the Rockets' lead to three points. Aaron Brooks missed a lay-up with 8.8 seconds remaining; but, after the Mavericks called time-out, Jason Kidd missed a three-point shot at the buzzer to clinch the Rockets victory.

Brooks scored a game-high 30 points (11 for 26 from the field overall, 6 for 12 on threes). Landry scored 15 points; and Luis Scola (12 points and 13 rebounds); Kyle Lowry (12 points); Battier (11 points) and Trevor Ariza (11 points) also scored in double-figures.

Six Mavs also scored in double-figures led by Jason Terry's 20 points.

Rockets Defeat Hornets

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- Aaron Brooks (27 points) and Shane Battier (20 points) combined for 47 points to counter a career-high 44 point performance from David West of the New Orleans Hornets; and, the Houston Rockets defeated the Hornets 108-100 in front of an announced sellout crowd of 18,187 fans.

Defense was not at a premium in the first quarter for either club as both team's offense were flowing freely. The Rockets (19-13) shot 63.2% (12 for 19) from the field in the opening quarter while the Hornets shot 50.0% (11 for 22). The Rockets led the Hornets 31-23 at end of the quarter.

The offenses continued rolling in the second quarter as the Rockets made 11 of 20 shots (55.0%) compared to the Hornets 12 for 27 (57.1%) shooting in the second quarter.

The Hornets (13-16) bench players outscored the Rockets' reserves 21 to 11 in the second period; however, the Rockets still outscored the Hornets 30 to 28 in the period and led 61-51 at halftime.

Then, the third quarter started and the Rockets offense entered the deep freeze for the fourth straight ball game. The Rockets shot an ice cold 4 for 20 (20.0%) in the third period. Including tonight's game, the Rockets have shot a combined 18 for 76 (23.7%) from the field in the third quarter of the last four games.

"Third quarter. We talked about it at halftime," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "The last few games we have not come out in the third quarter and played. We've had poor third quarters. We talked about it at halftime (tonight) and we still did it. I don't know what it is. We'll have to look at it. Our guys will have to come out with more energy."

David West went bonkers in the third quarter; and, the Rockets had no answer for West whatsoever. West shot 7 for 10 from the field - including 2 for 3 on wide open three-point shots - and 6 for 8 from the foul line. West scored 22 points in the third period.

The Rockets were outscored 31-13 in the third period and trailed the Hornets 82-74 entering the fourth period.

West did not start the fourth quarter; and, the Rockets took advantage of West's absence.

The Rockets outscored the Hornets 23 to 4 in the first 6:51 of the fourth to erase the eight point deficit and lead 87-86 at the 5:09 mark of the quarter.

Kyle Lowry assisted on a three-point basket by Shane Battier; then, Lowry made a driving lay-up. Aaron Brooks drained a 21-foot shot followed by two free throws by Lowry.

"Kyle came in and got us going," Adelman added. "We turned the game around the start of that fourth quarter."

Aaron Brooks said, "We just started moving the ball a lot more. We came out and played our game. We didn't hesitate. When the shot was open, we took it; and, we got back to doing what we were doing in the first and second quarter."

David West keyed a 7-0 Hornets' run to trim the Rockets lead to 97-93; however, Landry converted a three-point play before West banked in a six-foot runner and Devin Brown swished a wide open three to cut the Rockets' lead to 100-98 with 1:11.

Despite struggling from the perimeter once again, Trevor Ariza made a key play by pump faking an outside shot and driving to the hole and finishing with a two-hand slam dunk to give the Rockets a four point lead with 49.6 seconds remaining in the game.

"When you are struggling like he has the last couple of games," said Shane Battier." You find ways to get it done. He was upset after the game; but, we told him that was a huge play to get that dunk and really get the crowd into the game and it really sealed it for us."

After a Hornets' timeout, Darius Songaila (yes, Darius Songaila, not David West nor Chris Paul) missed a 21-foot jump shot; Lowry rebounded the miss and the Hornets did not get any closer as the Rockets closed out the game with the eight point victory.

Morey's Statement Regarding Tracy McGrady

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets have released a statement from Daryl Morey regarding the team's agreement with Tracy McGrady to seek a trade:

“After multiple conversations with Tracy and his representatives, we have agreed to look into trade opportunities and have granted him an indefinite leave from team activities.”

I'm glad it's official. Aren't you?

Cougars Trounce TCU -- with VIDEO

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars forced the tempo Tuesday night versus the TCU Horned Frogs; and, the Horned Frogs could not keep up with the Coogs. Houston raced past TCU 105-81 in front of 3,155 fans.

The 105 points are the most points Houston has scored against TCU since February 26, 1977.

The Cougars (7-3) forced TCU into rushed shots and 18 turnovers which fed into the Cougars' fast-paced attack.

"Obviously, we were on all cylinders offensively," said UH head coach Tom Penders after the game. "We got the game going at the tempo we wanted. We pressed them to get them going."

Houston scored 52 points (20 for 39 from the field) in the first half without committing one turnover. Houston senior Kelvin Lewis keyed the fireworks with 20 points in the opening 20 minutes. Lewis shot 7 for 14 from the field overall including 5 for 10 on three point attempts.

Houston's offense amped up the firepower in the second 20 minutes. Aubrey Coleman exploded with 26 points (8 for 11 from the field and 8 for 9 from the foul line). Coleman finished the game with a game-high 33 points. Lewis chipped in with 25 points; and, Adam Brown added 21 points (9 for 17, 3 for 9 on threes) off the bench.

TCU (6-6) finished the game shooting 46.8% (29 for 62) from the field and out rebounding the Coogs 42 to 28 and dishing out more assists (18 to 16) than the Coogs. However, Houston's "three-headed monster" overwhelmed the Horned Frogs.

Coleman said Brown's scoring ability "helps us relax". "We feel that we have other players helping us out," added Coleman. "Because that's what we're going to need if we want to do something big. It's not going to be me and K (Kelvin Lewis) all the time."

Lewis added "We got to protect our home court. We can't let somebody come in and get wins on our court; so, I think that gives us another motivation coming in each game because this is our house."

Coach Penders said the team will add more defenses as the season progresses.

"A lot. We're really simple right now. What we did tonight is we had a 2-1-2 full court press. We changed from trapping in the first half to only trapping when they got over half court in the second half or no traps at all; so, it was full man. There's a lot of things that we can do out of that; and, we also have a couple of half court traps that we can do."

The Cougars will enjoy the Christmas break; return to practice; then host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, December 29, at 7 p.m.

UH's Brown, Coleman, and McNeil after rout of The Citadel

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars picked up a much needed win with stifling defense Monday night in an 81-58 rout of The Citadel.

Maurice McNeil scored nine points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.

McNeil said he actually called UH head coach Tom Penders after Saturday's game against Mississippi State and asked Coach Penders what he needs to do to play more minutes.

"He (Coach Penders) said he'll make it up to me the next game. He played 30 something minutes (tonight); so, I took advantage of that."

After a 1 for 11 shooting effort Saturday against Mississippi State, Adam Brown re-gained his shooting touch (6 for 9) and scored 17 points off the bench.

Aubrey Coleman shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line and scored a team-high 26 points.

Penders' Presser after Cougars Blast The Citadel -- VIDEO

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars utilized trapping defense and a new starting lineup Monday night versus The Citadel; and, both changes had a very positive impact as the Coogs routed The Citadel 81-58 in front of announced crowd of 2617 fans.

UH head coach Tom Penders inserted freshman wing Bryce Clark and re-inserted big man Maurice McNeil into the starting lineup. Clark's active defense set a tone in the first half while McNeil went to work on the glass and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds.

The Coogs bounced back in a big way after losing 70-64 Saturday afternoon to Mississippi State.

"I felt like the kids were really anxious to play (tonight)," said Coach Penders after the game. "And, try to get the taste of that last game out of our system."

Coach Penders added, "Maurice McNeil really did a great job on the backboards and blocking shots. He was very active."

Coach Penders explained the reason for going with Bryce Clark in the starting lineup.

"Bryce is a great athlete. He works hard every day in practice. He's about 6'7" now. He came in at about 6'5.5". He's growing. He's a very competitive kid. He's been looking really good on the scout; and, I wanted to go with a quicker line up. Bryce can play guard and forward. He was very active on the defensive side of things."

Houston (6-3) led the Citadel (6-7) 38 to 23 at halftime; then, the Cougars blew the game wide open with a 26 to 6 run the first 8:55 of the second half to enjoy its biggest lead of the game (64-29). McNeil scored six of his nine points during the run.

The Cougars' aggressive, trapping defense forced the Bulldogs into 19 turnovers and disrupted their methodical offense for much of the ball game.

"They run a Princeton style of offense at a little faster speed," Penders said. "We wanted to do everything we could to take them out of it. We wanted to force them to play quicker; take quicker shots; and throw them out of rhythm. We did a lot trapping, rotating and forced them out of their offense. They never really got into running their offense all night."

Houston returns to action this Wednesday, December 21, with a home game versus TCU. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

Rockets Hold off Thunder

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- Once again, the Houston Rockets of 2009 - 2010 found a way to win a ball game. Despite playing without Carl Landry (day-to-day, emergency dental work) and losing rookie Chase Budinger in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle, the Rockets gutted out a 95-90 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday night in front of 15,095 fans.

As usual thus far this season, someone for the Rockets stepped up to help get the victory.

Trevor Ariza scored 23 of his game-high 31 points in the first half. Ariza shot 9 for 13 from the field (5 for 7 on threes) in the first half; however, Ariza wore down in the second half and especially in the fourth quarter. Ariza missed five straight throws in the final period which helpep the Thunder stay within striking distance of the Rockets.

"Well, it was tough down the stretch," Ariza said. "If I want to be the type of player that I think I am, I have to stay strong late in the game even if I start off strong."

The Rockets (16-11) led 50 to 40 at halftime and increased the lead to as many as 17 points in the third period; however, the Rockets could not put the Thunder away.

Oklahoma City's (13-13) Jeff Green scored seven points in the final three minutes of the third to help cut the Rockets lead to nine points (74-65) at the end of the third.

While Ariza was missing foul shots, OKC's rookie guard Jeff Harden and big man Serge Ibaka were scoring to trim the Rockets lead to just one point (82-81) with 5:20 remaining.

Ariza scored a layup (missed the free throw for the 'and 1'); and, then, an unlikely hero went to work for the Rockets -- David Andersen.

Andersen tipped in a missed shot; scored a layup; then, scored in the post with a left-handed hook shot for six straight points to give the Rockets a 92-86 lead with 2:26 left in the game. Andersen finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds.

Ariza blocked a shot and finally hit two free throws in the fourth to help seal the Rockets' victory.

Chuck Hayes finished the game with 13 points (6 for 9 from the field) and a game-high (and career-high tying) 15 rebounds. Hayes' nine first half points were three more than Kevin Durant's six first half points. Durant only scored 13 in the game.

Shane Battier and Ariza took turns defending Durant in the ball game. Durant made just six of his 18 field goal attempts.

"They have two of the premier perimeter defenders in Ariza and Battier," said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. "They were a big factor in K.D.’s (Kevin Durant) game."

"Two point (Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry) guards got over 50 points last night," said Rick Adelman, Rockets head coach. "And, they get eight (points) today and somebody else steps up; tonight it was Chuck and David. They gave us a big lift in the fourth quarter."

Luis Scola chipped in with 16 points and eight boards. Shane Battier added 13 points and three boards.

Next up for the gritty Rockets is the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, December 22.

Carl Landry Medical Update

From the Houston Rockets:

Rockets F Carl Landry was forced to leave last night’s game in Dallas at the 9:28 mark of the second quarter following a collision with Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki which resulted in damage to five teeth. Landry was treated this morning by Rockets team dentist Dr. Thomas O’Brien who performed a series of procedures including a root canal and two dental bridges to repair the damage. Landry will not play tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder and will be listed as day-to-day moving forward.

UH's Aubrey Coleman and Kelvin Lewis after MSU game -- VIDEO

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars lost a hard fought game Saturday afternoon to Mississippi State 70-64.

Coleman scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds; however, he shot 10 for 31 from the field. Lewis scored 18 points (7 for 17 from the field including 4 for 10 on threes).

After the game, Houston senior guards Aubrey Coleman and Kelvin Lewis spoke with the media about the game.

Coogs Edged by Bulldogs in Dogfight

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars played their best defense all season Saturday afternoon versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Unfortunately, the Coogs' offense struggled and MSU edged the Coogs 70-64 in a hard fought ball game in front of 3422 fans.

"It was a heck of a defensive battle," said UH head coach Tom Penders. "Our guys left everything they had out there on the floor. I thought they played their best defensive game. On the bright side, that's a giant step for us. I think, defensively, we looked like some of our teams in the past."

Houston (5-3) shot 31.2% (24 for 77, 10 for 31 on three-point shots) from the field for the ball game. Aubrey Coleman made just 10 of his 31 field goal attempts. Coleman scored 28 points and pull down a team-high 12 rebounds for his 16th career double-double. Coleman played all 40 minutes.

The Cougars led for much of the first half because they forced the Bulldogs into 12 turnovers.

Houston did not trail until MSU's Ravern Johnson drained a three-point basket at the 1:55 mark of the first half to give the Bulldogs a 33 to 32 lead.

Coleman closed out the first half with a thunderous slam dunk off a drive to the basket to tie the game at 34.

Neither team shot the ball well from the field. Mississippi State (9-2) shot 38.6% (22 for 57) from the field.

The Bulldogs blitzed the Coogs with a 9-0 run to start the second half; however, Houston's Kelvin Lewis hit back-to-back three-point shots and Coleman followed with a driving layup to pull within one point (43-42) at the 14:22 mark.

Mississippi State stretched the led to seven (49-42); but, Houston responded with a 14 to 3 run to lead 56-52 with 5:34 left in the game. Lewis hit three three-pointers during the run.

The Bulldogs refused to cave and scored seven straight points capped off by a three-point bucket by Dee Bost to give MSU a 59-56 lead with just 2:47 remaining in the game.

With 2:14 remaining, Zamal Nixon tied the game at 59 with a three to begin a see-saw of quick baskets.

With 1:50 on the clock, Barry Stewart banked in a tough driving shot to put MSU ahead 61-59; however, Coleman answered with a tough finish at the 1:40 mark to tie the game at 61. Then, 17 seconds later, Ravern Johnson swished a three-point bucket to give the Bulldogs a three-point lead. 

Coleman split two free throws; but, he followed up his own miss and tied the game with a put back with his left hand.

With 34 seconds remaining, Stewart hit a short jumper to give the Bulldogs a 66-64  lead. Coleman was unable to hit his tough fadeaway; and, the Bulldogs' Jarvis Varnado rebounded the miss and was fouled. After struggling from the foul line all game (missed 10 of his first 15 foul shots), Varnardo sank both foul shots to give the Bulldogs a 68-64 lead.

The Cougars did not score in the final 13 seconds.

"We had open looks," said Aubrey Coleman after the game. "We just weren't knocking them down. We had key shots we could have hit but we didn't. But we gave it our all."

"It was a big dogfight," Lewis said after the ball game. "We knew that coming into the game. We prepared all week. We fought to the end. Mississippi State came out on top. They're a great team."

The Cougars return to action this Monday, December 21, versus The Citadel. Tip is set for 7 p.m.