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. 

Defense is Key in Owls Win over Santa Clara

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- The Rice Owls used solid defense and balanced offense to defeat the Santa Clara Broncos 70-57 Wednesday night in front of an announced crowd of 1,556 fans. The win is the 1000th win in Rice's history.

The Owls (5-4) capitalized on a great scouting report from their coaching staff and, seemingly, recognized every play the Broncos called.

"We knew exactly what they were going to run," said Owls freshman forward Arsalan Kazemi. "Exactly."

The Owls picked up 17 steals in the game and outscored the Broncos 27 to 4 in points off turnovers.

Kazemi scored 12 points (4 for 8 from the field); grabbed seven rebounds; picked up two assists and four steals.

"Arsalan, down low, is a beast in my opinion," said teammate Connor Frizzelle.

Frizzelle scored a team-high 16 points (4 for 7 on threes) and dished out a season-high five assists.

The Owls snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory; and, senior forward Lawrence "Cliff" Ghoram

said the difference in tonight's game compared to the three losses was a more aggressive and smart mindset.

"I just wanted to be an energy boost; be aggressive; and lead by example," said Ghoram. "I just tried to take what defense gave me and do things I need to do as far as hitting jumpers and be aggressive at the three spot. 

"We needed this win to give us a boost." 

Ghoram scored 15 points (5 for 12) and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

The Owls led the Broncos 31 to 27 at halftime.

Frizzelle scored five points during a 9-0 run in the second half to give the Owls a 50-35 lead. The Broncos pulled within 11 points four times and 10 points once; however, Kazemi or Ghoram scored to keep the Broncos an arms' length away the rest of the ball game.

The Owls limited the Broncos to just 38.5% (10 for 26) shooting from the field in the second half and picked up 11 of the 17 steals.

"We did some really good things conceptually," said Owls head coach Ben Braun. "We hadn't played in almost two weeks (final exams); and, it showed a little bit early. But, we did fight through it defensively. I thought that was the difference in the game -- the second half our defense was better."

Classic Named for Legendary Robert Hughes

This Saturday, December 19, Texas Southern University will compete against Southeastern Louisiana in the first Robert Hughes Classic.

The tournament is the brainchild of Glenn O. Lewis, current Chairman of the TSU Board of Regents. Lewis served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 10 years.

Coach Hughes is known as the duke of Dunbar High School in Fort Worth. He was the head coach at Dunbar from 1973 until he retired in 2005. Previously, he coached at I.M. Terrell High School in Fort Worth, TX, (an all black high school) during segregation. During his tenure, he won five state basketball titles and coached his way to 1,333 wins which made him the winningest high school basketball coach of all time.

Coach Hughes played college basketball at Texas Southern University for head coach Edward Adams from 1951 to 1954. Hughes played forward, post and off-guard. He garnered All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) honors for three years and was named TSU’s Athlete of the Year as a senior. He is also a member of the TSU Hall of Fame. Hughes was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1954. In 1993, he was inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

Charles McClelland, TSU's Athletics Director said, “I believe this Classic gives us a chance to honor one of the greatest basketball players in TSU’s history. It allows us to showcase our current team and we get to help improve the education of students in the Fort Worth area. It’s a positive situation for everyone involved.”

Rockets Rout Pistons

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- The Houston Rockets raced past the Detroit Pistons 107-96 Tuesday night in front of an announced crowd of 14,899 fans. The Rockets scored a season-high tying 27 fast-break points as the defense-minded Pistons could not keep up with the speedy Aaron Brooks nor the fast-paced action.

Tonight's game also marked the return of Rockets' swingman Tracy McGrady. For the first time since February 9, 2009, McGrady played in an NBA basketball game.

Trailing the Pistons 15 to 11, Aaron Brooks scored his first of many driving lay-ups in the game to start an 18 to 4 run by the Rockets which gave the Rockets a 29 to 19 lead at the end of the first period.

The Rockets shots 66.7% (12 for 18) from the field in the first stanza.

The Rockets led 54 to 37 late in the second quarter; however, in the final 2:52 of the first half, the Rockets played poorly against the Pistons' zone defense. The stagnant offense led to a 10 to 2 run by the Pistons to trim the Rockets lead to just nine points (56 to 47).

Rockets' rookie Chase Budinger scored six of his 16 points in the third period to help the Rockets outscore the Pistons 25 to 21 in the third quarter and take a 81-68 into the fourth quarter.

Budinger started the fourth period with a three-point play and Luis Scola hit two free throws to put the Rockets ahead by 18 points. The Rockets would lead by as many as 20 points (100 to 80) in the fourth quarter.

Budinger finished the game with his first career double-double (16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds). Budinger started the game in place of Trevor Ariza. Ariza was suspended for one game for throwing an elbow in Sunday's Rockets versus the Toronto Raptors.

"He was terrific," said Rick Adelman of Budinger's performance. "He made shots and he ran the floor. The thing he really did well was rebound the ball. He got 12 rebounds, he got a couple of nice baskets. He just did a really nice job. He doesn't play like your typical rookie. He just plays. We needed a big game from him with Trevor (Ariza) out and he gave it to us."

Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola each scored a game-high 23 points. Brooks dished out a game-high 10 assists. The Rockets dished out 28 assists on the 41 made field goals. The Rockets shot 54.7% (41 for 75 from the field) for the game.

"We got on the run. We got some easy buckets," said Brooks. "We were getting a lot of layups. We shot fourteen 3's (pointers) today. We did a good job of running the floor and all that starts with great defense at the defensive end. We haven't scored 100 points in awhile. We had a lot of layups today."

The Rockets (14-10, overall record) attempted 32 (made 23) free throws to just 13 (made 8) for the Pistons (11-13).

"Houston was very aggressive and that is why they won the game," said Pistons head coach John Kuester after the game. "We just didn't defend well."

T-Mac Returns to Action

HOUSTON, TX -- For the first time since February 9, 2009, Tracy McGrady played in an NBA basketball game. McGrady played seven minutes and 44 seconds Tuesday night for the Houston Rockets in the Rockets 107-96 win over the Detroit Pistons.

McGrady missed his first shot attempt; but, he drained his next shot -- a three-pointer from the top of the key -- to give the Rockets a 27 to 17 lead late in the first quarter.

Rockets' head coach Rick Adelman did not decide to play McGrady tonight until an hour or so before tip-off.

Listen to T-Mac tell the media how he heard he would play Tuesday night: "I had no idea that I was playing..." 

Michigan - KU game to get "Green Game" Treatment

ESPN's PR folks sent this release today. Take a look:

ESPN’s Michigan at No. 1 Kansas men’s college basketball telecast Saturday, Dec. 19, at 11 am CST will get the “Green Game” treatment through special on-air elements and behind-the-scenes efforts to conserve energy resources and deliver environmental messages.

As part of the “Green Game,” ESPN will utilize on-air graphics to provide information on environmental conservation, what it means to be eco-friendly and raise awareness of environmental responsibility within the sports community. Dave O’Brien will call the game with analyst Jay Bilas and reporter Holly Rowe.

Special production elements that will be used during the telecast include:

Kermit the Frog will introduce the “Green Game” telecast with an environmental message;

Vignettes will showcase green initiatives by both universities, including:

Kansas: Use of elliptical machines to generate energy for campus power and creating bio diesel fuel from the cooking fat used in dining halls.

Michigan: Use of hybrid buses in Ann Arbor and for university transportation and the organization of “Zero Waste Tailgates” at Michigan football games.

Kansas coach Bill Self and Michigan coach John Beilein will discuss the importance of conservation;

Special animation and graphics packages will be used, including:

Green colored graphics and the debut of a green tinted ESPN logo that swipes across the screen prior to replays;

• Use of a “Green Game” logo in the corner of the screen during ESPN programming leading up to – and throughout – the game;
• Full screen graphics panels providing conservation-themed information;
• The star watch element – showcasing star players to track during the game -- featuring a green appearance and highlighting two players who lead the way in being eco-friendly.

In addition to on-air elements, conservation efforts around the game, including for ESPN’s production of the game, will include:

• The host city of Lawrence, Kan. has purchased 8,000 kWh of electricity to offset the power use of Allen Fieldhouse for the day through a local hydroelectric power plant;
• ESPN will use LED lights for lighting the on-air personalities during segments and rechargeable batteries in various equipment;
• Kansas will place 30 new recycle bins with green footprints leading to the containers throughout Allen Fieldhouse;
• In addition to limiting the number of rental cars, every rental car utilized by ESPN game production staff will be a hybrid;
• ESPN crew members will be provided with reusable water bottles and have access to water from a cooler or Gatorade mixed from powder;
• adidas will sponsor warm up shirts made from organic cotton for both teams, the spirit squad and mascots;
• Team mascots will collect recyclables during game time-outs;
• Every concession location in Allen Fieldhouse will serve popcorn in paper bags instead of the previously used plastic containers.

All I can say is "Wow."

Cougars Outgun Troy -- with VIDEO

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars put on a shooting clinic from three-point range and defeated the Troy Trojans 93 to 85 in front of 2,612 fans.

The Coogs shot a white-hot 59.3% (16 for 27) from the "Land of Three" (fifth best in school-history) and answered every challenge the Trojans made in the second half.

The Coogs started slowly as the Trojans led 15 to 10. Houston shot 4 for 16 from the field during the first eight minutes and 33 seconds.  

With 12:04 left in the first half, UH head coach Tom Penders subbed for star Aubrey Coleman; and, the Cougars did not miss a beat and scored eight straight points (five points from Adam Brown and three from Zamal Nixon) to turn a three point deficit into a five point lead in just two minutes. The eight straight points capped off a 10-0 Cougars' run.

Despite shooting 41.7% (15 for 36 from the field) overall while the Trojans shot 51.5% (17 for 33), the Coogs led the Trojans 43 to 37 at the half.

(Listen to the post-game press conference featuring Kelvin, Aubrey, and Kahmell.)

Each time the Cougars (5-2) would stretch the lead in the second half, the Trojans would score in the paint either with a driving layup or on a put back.

Troy (5-5) outscored the Cougars 58 to 24 in the paint; but, the Cougars offset that by making 16 threes to just five by the Trojans.

Cougars' senior Kelvin Lewis cited "a little bit of miscommunication" on defense for all of the easy baskets by the Trojans.

"I think that when we put pressure on the ball there are going to be times that people get around it," Lewis added. "We just have to do a little better job rotating and talking a little bit more on 'd'. I think we started doing that towards the end; and, that's why we got the win."

Lewis finished the game with 24 points (8 for 12 from the field, including 7 for 9 on threes); six rebounds; and three assists.

Balanced scoring and 25 points off the bench helped the Cougars pick up the victory.

Junior college transfer Kahmell Broughton scored 10 points and pulled down four boards off the Cougars' bench in 16 minutes of action. Nick Haywood added six points and two assists in 14 minutes off the bench.

"To me, the key to the whole ball game was two players: Nick Haywood and Kahmell Broughton," said Coach Penders after the game. "Both were huge contributors. They turned the game around when we were struggling."

The game was played at a breakneck speed; but, that up tempo style is what the Cougars prefer.

"That's what we want to do," Aubrey Coleman said. "That's our main focus every game. Runnin' and gunnin'."

Troy pulled within four points three times in the final 95 seconds of the game; but, Coleman answered with a three-point with 1:02 on the clock; two free throws  with 49 seconds remaining; and splitting four free throws in the final 37 seconds to help preserve the victory.

Houston returns to Hofheinz Pavilion this Saturday afternoon versus Mississippi State. Tip is set for 1 p.m.    

Aggies Lose to Lobos -- with VIDEO

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- Two slow starts at the beginning of each half proved to be much to overcome for the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday evening as the 16th-ranked Aggies lost to the New Mexico Lobos 84 to 81 in the 2009 Houston Holiday Shootout in front of 7,757 fans.

Aggies' senior center Bryan Davis gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead; however, after New Mexico's Darington Hobson answered with a three-point bucket, the Aggies never led the rest of the ball game.

The Lobos (10-0) blitzed the Aggies with a 15 to 4 start before B.J. Holmes and Donal Sloan helped the Ags pull within one point (19 to 18) with a 14 to 4 scoring run.

The Lobos carved up the Aggies' defense in the first half shooting 48.1% (13 for 27) from the field to take a 40 to 29 lead into halftime.

"We came out sluggish the first four minutes of the second half," said B.J. Holmes after the game.

The Aggies (8-2) started the second half slowly as their defense allowed Lobos' senior Roman Martinez to put on a shooting clinic during the 5:02 of the second half. Martinez scored 13 of New Mexico's first 15 second half points. Martinez began the half with a layup; then drained a jumper; before canning three straight three-pointers to put the Aggies behind 55 to 42 with 14:58 remaining in the second half.

"We were about as bad as we can be the first 28 minutes," said Aggies head coach Mark Turgeon. "Then, we decided to play. We showed a little heart a little effort down the stretch; but, we just couldn't get over the hump."

The Aggies' deficit would increase to as much as 18 points (62-44) before Khris Middleton, Sloan, and Holmes keyed a 34 to 15 run to pull within five points (80-75) with just 36 seconds remaining.

Lobos freshman guard Jamal Fenton put the Lobos up by five by making a tough driving layup; however, Sloan drained a three-point shot to trim the Aggies' deficit to two (80-78) with 22 seconds left.

Fenton was fouled and went to the foul line; however, Fenton missed both free throws to give the Ags life. After the second miss, a loose ball foul was called on New Mexico which sent Nathan Walkup to the line with a chance to tie the game.

Walkup missed both foul shots; and, Bryan Davis was called for a loose ball foul which sent Lobos' big man A.J. Hardeman to the line. Hardeman hit both free throws for an 82-78 Lobos lead.

With 10 seconds remaining, Middleton drained a three-pointer from the corner to pull the Aggies within one point.

Martinez was fouled by Sloan (Sloan's fifth foul); and, Martinez swished both free throws.

Holmes first three-point shot attempt was blocked by Hobson ("I guess the guy knew that it was coming because he tipped it," Holmes said.) Then, with 0.7 second remaining, Holmes received an inbound pass, but his desperation shot was wide right and the Lobos pulled out the victory.

Brooks, Ariza Lead Rockets over Cavs

HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Rockets earned a solid 95 - 85 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night before an announced crowd of 18,200 fans.

Aaron Brooks scored a team-high 27 points and dished out a team-high six assists while Trevore Ariza added 26 points (11 for 19 from the field including 4 for 6 on three-point shots); five rebounds; two assists; and two steals.

Brooks' quickness was too much for the Cavs -- especially when Brooks was involved in pick-and-roll situations.

"That's where their weak point is, obviously," said Brooks in the locker room after the game. "We got chances to get open shots; and, I just wanted to exploit that a little bit."

Brooks shot 7 for 17 from the field and 12 for 13 from the free throw line.

Shane Battier began the game swishing two three-point shots; and, the Rockets raced to an 8-0 lead resulting in a Cavs' timeout.

The Cavs answered with a 13 to 2 run to lead by three points (13 to 10); but, Brooks answered the run with a driving layup followed by a slam dunk by Ariza which gave the Rockets a lead (14 to 13) they would not relinquish the rest of the ball game.

Ariza hit two three-point shots during the Rockets' 19 to 1 blitz to give the Rockets a 29 to 14 lead at the 1:47 mark of the first period. Ariza closed out the scoring for the Rockets with a 21-foot jumper to put Houston ahead 33 to 19 at the end of the quarter.

"Lately, I've been struggling with my shooting," said Ariza. "But tonight was a good night for me. I hit a lot of good shots, open shots. We played well tonight."

The Rockets' offense went cold in the second quarter; however, despite a 16 to 9 edge in rebounding in the quarter, the Cavs were only able to outscore the Rockets 20 to 19 in the period.

Battier (11 points), Brooks (12 points), and Ariza (15 points) combined for 38 of the Rockets 52 first half points. Cleveland's LeBron James scored only seven points in the first 24 minutes.

Houston (12-9) led by as much as 17 points (60 - 43) in the third quarter; however, the Cavs closed the quarter with 15 to 8 run to trim the Rockets' lead to 10 points (68 - 58) after three quarters.

Cleveland (15-7) got as close as five points (71 - 66) in the fourth quarter; but, Ariza, Brooks, and Carl Landry each scored 7 points to help the Rockets keep the Cavs' at arms'  length the final nine plus minutes.

"It was a terrific win against a terrific team," said Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. "The guys came out ready to play. They made that run in the fourth quarter; and, we responded. It was a win against a good team that we've struggled with at home. It was good to get this one."

LeBron James finished the game with 27 points; six rebounds; and seven assists. James made eight of his 21 shots from the field; and, he struggled to get into a good rhythm for much of the ball game. James also committed five of the Cavs' 20 turnovers.

"Turnovers. You have to take pride in avoiding them; and, we didn't," James said. "We just can't have unforced turnovers. We got the game as close as five but couldn't get over the hump. We needed to play with a sense of urgency earlier than we did."

The Rockets have won 4 of 5; and, after this one game pit stop at home, return to the road for a Friday game at Philadelphia versus the 76ers and a Sunday afternoon match up versus the Toronto Raptors.  

Coogs Top Islanders

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars earned a solid victory Sunday afternoon over the Texas A&M--Corpus Christi Islanders 83-76 in front of 2,628 fans.

Despite getting outrebounded 44 to 28, Houston's "three-headed monster" of seniors Aubrey Coleman (29 points) and Kelvin Lewis (22 points) and junior Adam Brown (14 points off the bench) helped the Coogs come out on top.

The Islanders did a lot of damage in the painted area and scored 42 points off dribble penetration and offensive rebounding.

However, the Coogs' four-guard lineup did pick up 13 steals and helped disrupt the Islanders' offense and produce 35 points off 24 TAMU--CC turnovers.

"We did a lot of things really well in this game today," said Coogs head coach Tom Penders. "We moved the ball. We had 17 assists on 30 buckets. We had 13 steals."

"When we go with the four guards, we're really in an all out shut down passing lanes mode and rotating and trying to get tips and deflections," Penders said. "We're not worrying about rebounding. We're just going to disrupt their offense; and, it worked most of the game tonight."

Houston (4-2) trailed 41-36 after a 9-3 run by the Islanders early in the second half; however, Lewis and Coleman combined to hit four straight three-point baskets to give the Coogs a 48-44 lead with 14:29 remaining in the second half. Adam Brown added four points while freshman big man Kendrick Washington chipped with four more points to help stretch the lead to 59-48 with 10:36 on the clock.

"We're shooting to get him (Kendrick) to 15 to 20 minutes a game before Christmas," Penders added.

The Islanders (4-4) pulled within two points three times down the stretch; and, Coleman had an answer each time. Coleman scored on a dunk the first time (65-61); hit two free throws and a three point shot the second time (70-63); and made two more free throws the third and final time (80-76).

The Coogs take a break for finals before hosting Troy next Monday, December 14, at 7 p.m. Troy defeated Auburn (at Auburn) 81-77 on December 4.

Listen to Coach Penders' entire post-game press conference. He talks about the Coogs' having the toughest non-conference schedule in C-USA; the reason for playing in the Alaska Tournament; the win over the Islanders; the player rotation; etc.