Houston Roundball Review: Women's Hoops

Coogs Top Memphis -- w/ Video

2010-02-07T19:58:00.051-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars dominated the first-place Memphis Tigers for nearly 36 minutes of basketball; however, the Coogs wouldn't be the Coogs if they didn't add some interest and excitement in the final four minutes of the game. Houston held on to defeat Memphis 68-62 in front of an announced crowd of 373 fans Sunday afternoon.

Houston played the game without starting point guard Porsche Landry who didn't play due to an injury. Megan Morton made her first career start at shooting guard while Brittney Scott shifted from shooting guard to point guard. Scott committed just two turnovers in the first half as the Cougars played led 35-29 at halftime.

"It was different. We had different people at different spots in the game," said UH junior forward Courtney Taylor. "It shows how versatile we are that we have people that can step up in different situations."

Taylor started a 15-2 UH run with a made jump shot and Houston (12-10 overall, 6-3 C-USA) led Memphis (13-9, 6-3) 64-45 with 4:28 left in the ball game.

Then, the wheels started coming off the proverbial UH bus.

Scott committed four of Houston's seven turnovers and Memphis finally was able to put the ball in the basket. The Tigers pulled within four points (64-60) with 57 seconds remaining. Then, Scott missed the first free throw of a one-and-one situation which allowed the Tigers an opportunity to pull closer; but, Memphis' Alex Winchell missed a three-point shot and Houston's Brittany Mason rebounded the missed shot.

Mason swished both free throws to give the Cougars some breathing room and a much needed cushion with 15 seconds left in the game.

"I think we were going too fast," Scott said about the last four minutes of the game. "They were pressing us hard the whole game; so, it wasn't that different. We should have just slowed down a little bit."

Houston head coach Joe Curl added, "I was the one that was being too conservative."

Taylor recorded her school-best 36th double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor broke a tie with forward Sancho Lyttle.

Lesslee Mason added 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots, and four steals.

"I was just really excited because today was a big game," Mason said. "We were playing for first place; so, I was just a little bit more aggressive on the defensive end. I've just been feeling it lately - to be honest."

Scott scored a game-high 19 points on her 21st birthday. She finished the game with nine turnovers.

The Cougars play the next four games on the road beginning with a Friday matchup in Tulsa versus the Golden Hurricane. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

Coop after PV Defeats Texas Southern -- with Video

2010-02-06T21:26:00.000-06:00

PRAIRIE VIEW, TX -- The Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers do what good teams do Saturday evening -- win ugly or the proverbial "find a way to win" -- as PV defeated rival Texas Southern 58-49 in front of a very, very lively 4,878 fans inside the "Baby Dome" (aka the William Nicks Building).

Prairie View (12-7 overall, 9-1 in the SWAC) struggled mightily in the first half versus rival Texas Southern Saturday evening. PV made only six field goals (out of 29) in the opening 20 minutes and trailed TSU 24-18 at halftime.

"I told them we were playing terrible," said Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Prairie View A&M's head coach. "I told them 'we're not rebounding. We're playing with no intensity. We're playing hard; but, we're not playing smart. I told them we're going to come out and play like we know how to play."

TSU (9-12, 6-4) extended its lead to 10 points (30-20) early in the second half; but, Prairie View's Latara Darrett scored 10 points during a 12-4 PV run to help the Panthers pull within two points (34-32). Teammate Robin Jones made two free throws to tie the game at 34; then, Darrett hit a jump shot to put Prairie View ahead 36-34 with 10:34 left in the ball game.

"Latara has carried us the last three games," said Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Prairie View A&M's head coach after the game. "I know teams are going to stop 'boxing and one' her; face guarding her; triple teamming her. We're going to need some other people stepping up; and, that could be Dominique Smith or Candice Thomas."

PV would score four more points before Texas Southern's Jasmine Cannon ended TSU's 4:38 scoring drought with a made layup. Prairie View led 40-36 with 9:21 remaining in the game.

Candice Thomas converted a layup to give the Lady Panthers a seven point lead (45-38) before the Lady Tigers' Gabrielle Rosigi went to work in the paint and scored four points during a 6-0 to pull within one (45-44) at the 5:31 mark.

However, Dominique Smith drained a three-point basket and made a second straight jump shot during a 10-1 run to stretch Prairie View's lead to 10 points (55-45) with 2:22 on the clock.

PV cruised to the victory in the final minutes.

"I'm glad we won," said Coop. "In these types of games, it's better to play bad and win; then play bad and lose."

Darrett scored a game-high 27 points (10 for 18 from the field) and pulled down 10 rebounds. Candice Thomas scored 12 points (4 for 12). Dominique Smith scored 13 points (5 for 11) off the PV bench.

Prairie View bounced back from the 6 for 29 (20.7%) in the first half and shot 52.0% (13 for 25) in the second 20 minutes.

Jasmine Cannon led TSU with 19 points (7 for 15). Gabrielle Rosigi added nine points and 12 rebounds while Inisha Daughtry chipped in seven points and 12 boards.

TSU shot an icy 39.3% (11 for 28) from the free throw line and 32.7% (18 for 55) from the field.

Recap: NCAA Mock Selection

2010-02-06T10:09:00.001-06:00

For me, participating in the NCAA's annual "mock" selection exercise was definitely an eye-opening experience.

One thing I urge readers to remember when viewing "Selection Monday" on ESPN is a team's "body of work". Without divulging specifics, the committee truly considers a team's "body of work" for the entire season:

a team's opponents (conference and, definitely, non-conference)
a team's opponents' opponents
a team's wins (home and away) and losses (home and away) -- margin of victory or defeat is not important)

First, we selected the 33 at-large teams. Second, we seeded the teams; and, lastly we placed the teams in the championship bracket.

Selecting the 33 at-large teams is a lot tougher than I realized.

I was part of three-person committee representing one actual committee member. Ten people are on the selection committee and each member counts as one vote.

A few of our discussions were very lively because each person has his or her own ideas regarding the importance of certain criteria (for example, how important is home court in the women's game or the significance of player injuries).

The information -- the NCAA's "nitty gritty" -- at our fingertips was amazing! I pulled up stats and compared Team X to Team Y to Team Z with a few clicks of the mouse pad.

The committee adheres to its "principles and procedures" without fail.

The bottom line is to make the bracket as "fair and equitable" as possible.

My participation allowed me to dispel a few myths / misconceptions: the committee doesn't bracket teams in order to generate storylines; the committee doesn't place all the male head coaches in one region; and, do not assume which team is the "number one number 2-seed".

I'll also add the importance to continue growing the game of women's basketball across the country in order to allow for more cities (re: west of the Mississipppi) to be interested in bidding and hosting sites in the future.

All in all, the "mock" selection was very enjoyable; very straining on my eyes; and, a true learning experience.

Follow the NCAA Mock Selection Live

2010-02-03T17:37:00.000-06:00

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- I think I'm ready to participate in the NCAA's "mock" selection exercise which takes place Thursday, February 4, and Friday, February 5.

The "mock" selection exercise involves media, head coaches and WBCA representatives. It will take place beginning on Thursday at 2 p.m (EST), continuing until Friday afternoon.

You can follow the exercise at NCAA.com. The NCAA will have a live blog during the event at http://www.ncaa.com/blog/200910d1womensbasketball/.

Aggies Falter Late, Lose to Cowgirls -- with Video

2010-01-31T19:57:00.000-06:00

COLLEGE STATION, TX -- The Texas A&M Aggies resorted to bad habits which cost them Sunday afternoon as the Okalahoma State Cowgirls trailed for nearly the entire game before defeating the Aggies 67-63 in front of 4516 fans inside Reed Arena. Today's loss is the second straight for the 8th-ranked Aggies.

Texas A&M (15-4 overall, 3-3 in Big 12) failed to take advantage of the final 7:41 of the first half when Oklahoma State's star player, Andrea Riley, went to the bench with her third foul.

"I thought that was the ball game," said Aggies head coach Gary Blair. "Eight point lead; even when she was in the ball game, even when she had two fouls. When we had an eight to a 10-point lead, we were not stretching it then. We were not having balance on our team. We were doing a poor job in transition of scoring easy. Everything came hard for us.

"We were doing a good job making them miss. We were doing a good job on the defensive boards - for a while - in the first half until the last five minutes of the first half."

The Aggies led by just eight points (28-20) at halftime; but, the team started the second half with a 15 to 10 run to lead 43-29 with 12:56 remaining in the game.

Then, Andrea Riley and Tegan Cunningham started heating up. Riley and Cunningham combined for the next 19 OSU points to narrow the Aggies' lead to just five points (55-50). OSU' Ally Cardy drained a three-point shot to narrow the lead to just two points; but, free throws by Adaroa Elonu and Tyra White increased the lead to six points with 4:43 on the clock.

Riley wasn't phased. She scored one lay-up; followed up a missed three-point shot by Aggies' post Danielle Adams; with a three-point play to cut the lead to 59-58.

The Aggies missed two more jump shots before Sydney Carter made two free throws to make the score 61-58 at the 1:48 mark. Riley calmly dribbled the ball down the court before tying the game with a deep three-point bucket. Riley then stole the ball; missed a lay-up; but, teammate Precious Robinson followed the missed shot and converted the lay-up to give Oklahoma State (18-3, 6-1) a two-point lead with only 63 seconds remaining.

Instead of going inside, the Aggies settled for another perimeter shot and Adams missed a three-point attempt. OSU's Ally Cardy missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw; the Aggies rebounded the missed shot; then, missed another three-point shot by Tyra White.

Precious Robinson was fouled; and, she sank both free throws for a four point Cowgirls' lead (65-61) with 30 seconds remaining.

Sydney Colson joined the Aggies' "missed perimeter shot party' with a three-point clanger. Teammate Tanisha Smith pulled down the offensive rebound an converted the put back.

Riley was fouled; and, she swished two more free throws to close out the scoring and finish the game with 31 points -- 27 points in the second half.

Sydney Colson, fittingly, missed a final three-point shot as the Aggies lost a second straight game.

The Aggies shot 5 for 20 (25.0%) from the three-point line and 24 for 65 (36.9%) from the field.

Oklahoma State out rebounded Texas A&M 52 to 28 -- including 24 on the offensive glass.

After the game, Danielle Adams said, "In the first half, they (Oklahoma State) didn’t come out as aggressive. In the second half, they came out and played with emotion and heart to lead them to victory. We were settling for jump shots instead of taking it inside."

Coach Blair summarized his disappointment saying, "I told our kids, there is a big difference between All-Americans and Big 12 players. I think we saw that in Riley today. Oklahoma State’s role players played their roles and their stars starred. We just played a team who had more heart in the end. We have to become a smarter and better team."

Riley's 31 points helps Cowgirls beat Aggies - w/ Video

2010-01-31T18:01:00.001-06:00

COLLEGE STATION, TX -- The Oklahoma State Cowgirls defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 67-63 Sunday afternoon in front of 4516 fans staying warm inside Reed Arena.

OSU's Andrea Riley picked up her third foul with 7:41 left in the first half Sunday afternoon. Riley sat out the rest of the half; but, her teammates managed to stay close to the and trailed by just eight points (28-20) at halftime. In the second half, Riley made the Aggies pay for not putting the Cowgirls away when they had the chance.

Riley scored 27 of her game-high 31 points in the second half -- including the game-tying three-point shot with 89 seconds remaining to stun the Aggies' fans. Then, Riley picked up a steal; missed a lay-up; but, teammate Precious Robinson scored the putback to give OSU a lead for the first time in the ball game.

Robinson and Riley added four more free throws to preserve the huge victory.

"Well let me just say, ‘what a fantastic college basketball game today.’ You saw two good teams battle and battle," said Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke. "If you ever have a chance to win at A&M, it’s going to be a grind. You can’t get your head down too much, if you fall behind. As long as we aren’t down by 20, we know we still have a chance. We felt like we were in the game. Our two leaders (Andrea Riley and Tegan Cunningham) didn’t have a good first half, but they came back and led us to victory in the end."

Riley added, "My team really needed me in the second half. I’m really proud of my team that they stepped up in the first half. I was trying to do whatever I could do to help my team win (in the second half). We played down and dirty because you can’t play soft against Texas A&M."

Oklahoma State (18-3 overall, 6-1 in Big 12) faces undefeated Nebraska in Lincoln, Wednesday, February 3. Texas A&M (15-4, 3-3) will try to end a two-game skid versus Missouri on February 3.

Coogs Lose Big Early Lead and Lose to SMU -- w/ VIDEO

2010-01-30T17:06:00.001-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- For the second time in about two weeks, the Houston Cougars lost a double-digit lead at home and lost. Sunday, January 17, the Coogs blew a 22-point second half lead and lost to Marshall 66-61. Saturday afternoon, the Cougars led the SMU Mustangs by 13 points in the first half only to lose 74-67 in front of an announced crowd of 458 fans.

Brittney Scott led the Cougars with 20 points; but, after the game, Scott was at a loss for words to explain her team's lack of consistency.

"I, honestly, can't," Scott said succinctly.

Houston (10-10 overall, 4-3 in C-USA) made its first four field goals to start the game then missed five straight shots.

"I think we lost our rhythm," said Houston's Courtney Taylor.

Scott eight points during a 13-4 run to give the Cougars a 26-13 lead with 10:38 remaining in the opening half. Unfortunately, the UH's inconsistency reared its ugly head once again; and, SMU (15-5, 5-2) closed out the half with a 22 to 8 run to take a 35-34 lead into the locker rooms.

Houston's woes on offense continued in the second half; and, the Mustangs extended the lead to 13 points (54-43) at the 8:34 mark of the half.

Trailing by 13 points and considering their Jekyll / Hyde nature, Houston seemed to have the Mustangs ripe for a comeback.

The Cougars methodically narrowed the deficit; then, UH head coach Joe Curl cranked up the pressure defense which helped spark his players.

Sophomore Megan Morton converted a lay-up to pull UH within three points (61-58) with 2:47 on the clock.

SMU's sophomore post player, Christine Elliott, took advantage of no help side defense and a fronting Courtney Taylor to convert a lob pass for a lay-up for a five point lead.

Taylor missed two free throws; but, Taylor picked up a steal only to see teammate Porsche Landry commit a turnover.

SMU's Hayley Day made a lay-up for a seven point Mustangs' lead with just 1:40 remaining in the game.

With 1:03 remaining, Brittney Scott splashed in a three-point bucket to trim Houston's deficit to just four points (66-62). Houston fouled SMU senior guard Jillian Samuels. Samuels made the first foul shot; missed the second; but, Christine Elliott pulled down the offensive rebound and Samuels sealed the game by draining both free throws.

SMU's Brittany Gilliam led all scorers with 22 points. Elliott finished with a double-double (14 points and 16 rebounds) Hayley Day also contributed a double-double with 10 points and 13 boards.

Houston was out rebounded 42-32 by SMU.

"I don't think we got out hustled to the ball," said Coach Curl. "I think that there were three or four four-minute segments that maybe we got "out toughed" for the ball; but, there were three or four segments that we out toughed them.

"We got to learn to play with the lead."

Houston's next game is versus crosstown rival, Rice, Thursday, February 4, at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

Owls Stop SMU

2010-01-28T22:49:00.000-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- The Rice committed 21 turnovers; shot under 35 percent from the field; but, still managed to defeat the SMU Mustangs 61-58 Thursday night in front of 389 fans gathered inside the friendly confines of Tudor Fieldhouse.

Despite the turnovers and the poor shooting, the Owls never trailed in the ball game.

Rice (9-10 overall, 3-3 in C-USA) jumped on the Mustangs early and led SMU (14-5, 4-2) 24-7 with 8:29 remaining in the first half.

"We did get off to a great start," said Owls head coach Greg Williams. "We let them up a couple of times; and, we fought them off."

SMU couldn't do anything right on offense. The Mustangs shot 3 for 16 from the field during the opening 10 plus minutes; however, once senior guard Jillian Samuels made a three-point shot, the Mustangs offense began percolatings signs of life while the Owls' offense was bogging down.

The Owls led 33-23 at halftime.

The Mustangs crept back into the ball game thanks to senior guard Brittany Gilliam's 18 second half points. Gilliam shot 2 for 14 in the first half; but, she bounced back and made six of eight shot attempts in the second half.

However, each time SMU inched closer, the Owls would pick up a key rebound to continue an offensive possession then nail a three-point bucket to stretch the lead once again.

Gilliam made a three to trim the Owls' lead to 40-36; but, after D'Frantz Smart made two free throws, Gilliam turned over the ball; and, Rice picked up two offensive rebounds which led to a deep three-point basket by Smart to make the score, 45-36, Rice at the 11:45 mark of the second half.

The Mustangs pulled within three points (46-43); but, the Owls answered with a 9-0 run to lead 55-43 with 4:57 left in the ball game.

However, the Owls committed three turnovers down the stretch which allowed the Gilliam and the Mustangs to outscore the Owls 11-1. SMU cranked up the full-court pressure; but, Smart passed the ball to a wide open Goswitz; and Goswitz, made the layup for an easy two points for a 59-54 lead with just 25 seconds remaining in the game.

SMU's Samantha Mahnesmith split two free throws; but, the Mustangs grabbed the offensive rebound and Gilliam swished a three-point bucket to trim the Owls lead to just one point (59-58) with five seconds on the clock.

SMU pressured the Owls once more; but, once again, the Owls beat the pressure and Tara Watts passed the ball to a wide open Goswitz down the court for a lay-up.

SMU had a chance to tie the game at 61; but, Haley Day's three-point shot was off the mark.

"They made some adjustments and trapped the ball late," Coach Williams said. "But, I thought we made two key plays, obviously, to get lay-ups when they were trapping and scrambling all over the floor. That's something we did not do very well last year."

Goswitz led the Owls with 15 points (5 for 10 from the field, including 3 for 5 on threes). Watts and Smart each scored 11 points. Smart added eight assists; six rebounds; and two steals. Shorty also committed seven turnovers.

The Owls out rebounded the Mustangs 49 to 40 including 16 to 12 on the offensive glass.

"I think we just wanted it more tonight," Goswitz said. "It's between you and the person guarding you. It's who wants the ball more and that's what happened tonight."

The Owls host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

February Madness

2010-01-28T10:11:00.000-06:00

It will be March 11, next week -- the first week of February -- in Indianapolis, IN. Does that make sense?

No?

Let me explain.

Thursday, February 4, and Friday, February 5, the NCAA will hold its annual "mock selection" exercise. The exercise allows attendees (selected members of the media and coaches) to assume responsibilities and participate in the entire selection, seeding and bracketing process. The group will assume the role of the committee for this “mock” exercise and engage in a “mock” selection, seeding and bracketing of the teams.

I, as a representative of KCOH 1430 AM, will be one of the 22 attendees.

For the purposes of our "mock" exercise, the process has already begun for us. We've been notified 13 teams have already qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

I've been told to consider January 22 as if it were March 11, with some automatic qualifiers already in, with numerous conference tournaments still being played, and those games being considered by the committee as they unfold.

I'm on a committee with three "primary" and three "secondary" conference assignments.

Without a doubt, I'm looking forward to this opportunity to get an idea of how the NCAA's women's basketball committee selects the "Field of 64".

Texas Southern wins in Overtime

2010-01-25T21:16:00.001-06:00

HOUSTON, TX -- The Texas Southern Lady Tigers gutted out an exciting 90-82 overtime victory Monday evening over the Arksansas-Pine Bluff Lady Lions.

The game had many ebbs and flows.

Pine Bluff carved up TSU's defense in the first 8 minutes of the game shooting 64.3% (9 for 14) from the field and leading the Lady Tigers 19-10.

TSU (8-10 overall, 5-2 in the SWAC) answered with a 19-3 run to lead 29-22 at the 6:59 mark of the first half.

Then, Pine Bluff (3-14, 2-5 in conference) closed out the half with a 15-4 to lead 37-33 at halftime.

The Lady Lions' torrid shooting continued in the second half and TSU trailed by 14 points (62-48) with 8:50 left in the second half.

Texas Southern began attacking the basket and the refs called fouls. Plenty of fouls. TSU missed five of their first 12 free throws in the second half; but, they made 5 of 7 down the stretch to help get back in the ball game.

Sierra Highgate scored back-to-back baskets to pull TSU within seven points (68-61) with 4:54 mark left in the half. TSU trailed 73-70 with eight seconds left in the half before Highgate swished a three-point bucket to tie the game at 73 with just 2.4 seconds left. Pine Bluff committed a turnover on the inbounds play; and TSU's Krissica Harper missed a jumper at the buzzer sending the game into overtime.

TSU post Gabrielle Rosigi scored six points in the extra session as she dominated in the overtime and helped TSU picked up the much needed victory.

Rosigi scored 19 points while teammates Jasmine Cannon and Trikeyia East each scored 20 points.

Three Lady Lions fouled out as they were called for 34 fouls compared to just 17 fouls called on the Lady Tigers. TSU shot 29 for 46 (63.0%) from the foul line while Pine Bluff made 14 of 23 (60.9%).

Texas Southern Edges Valley

2010-01-23T19:52:00.003-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (H&PE Arena) -- The Texas Southern Lady Tigers shot poorly; played poor defense; but, still managed to edge the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 67-66 Saturday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 414 fans.

Both teams struggled putting the ball in the basket in the first half. Valley did not score a single point until 13:55 was left on the clock; however, the Lady Tigers only 3-2.

TSU's Nadosha Strickland scored a fastbreak layup at the 12:13 mark which seemed to wake up TSU's offense. TSU outscored Valley 29-20 the rest of the first half and led 34-22 at the halftime break.

TSU (7-10 overall, 4-2 in the SWAC) made 12 of 32 field goals (37.5%) in the opening 20 minutes while MVSU (4-13, 1-5) made just 8 of 40 for only 20.0%.

TSU's defense let up in the second half and Valley took full advantage. Valley shot 50.0% (15 for 30) from the field including 5 for 10 from three point range; and, methodically trimmed down TSU's lead throughout the second half.

"We just stopped defending in the second half," said TSU head coach Yolanda Wells-Broughton after the game.

Valley pulled within one point (61-60) at the 1:48 mark; but, after both teams failed to score on a couple of possessions, TSU guard Jasmine Cannon made a layup to give the Lady Tigers a three-point lead. Cannon added two more free throws 21 seconds later to give TSU a 65-60 lead with 34.4 seconds remaining in the game.

MVSU's Lenise Stallings drained a three-point shot to cut the TSU lead to two points. TSU freshman point guard Krissica Harper split two free throws.

Valley's Khristina Clemons missed a baseline jump shot; and, TSU's Trikeyia "Dee Dee" East rebounded the miss. Dee Dee was fouled and split two free throws to give TSU a 67-63 lead with 8.1 seconds on the game clock.

MVSU's Angel Brown hit a three-point shot with 1.7 seconds remaining; but, TSU was able to inbound the ball to Harper near midcourt.Harper launched a shot to run out the rest of the clock preserving the victory.

"I really felt my team let up defensively in the second half," Coiach Broughton added. "We just gotta keep chipping away at it. We have to defend for 40 minutes."

TSU returns to the court Monday, January 25, versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. inside the H&PE Arena.

Listen to Coach Broughton's post-game comments: "...gotta get better..."

Coogs Come from WAY Ahead and lose to Marshall

2010-01-17T17:35:00.000-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars played one half of great basketball and one half of awful basketball Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the awful half erased the great half and the Coogs lost to the Marshall Thundering Herd 66-61 in front of 427 fans.

Houston (8-9 overall, 2-2 in C-USA) could do no wrong in the first half while Marshall (11-6, 3-2) could do no right; however, the second half was a complete 180 degree turn.

Houston led 42-23 at halftime and 45-23 at 19:14 of the second half; then, the slow, methodical Cougar collapse began.

Houston's offense bogged down; and, the players seemed to have no idea how to execute the plays which were being called by Coach Joe Curl.

"I think we lost our intensity," said Coach Curl. "Once they got it (down) to 10, it was like we choked up and didn't want to take a normal shot and just play."

As a result of too much thinking, Houston took far too many rushed shots and made just 7 of 31 (22.6%) field goal attempts in the second half.

"It looked we were thinking instead of playing," Coach Curl said. "Kids get in a mood of thinking of the score or thinking 'oh my goodness' or whatever. It's coaching. I feel that loss was coaching."

The crappy offense was compunded by woeful rebounding as Marshall dominated Houston on the glass outrebounding the Cougars 31 to 15.

Houston's starters played all but 10 minutes of the ball game and scored all 61 points. Brittney Scott led Houston with 16 points; however, Scott shot 6 for 18 overall including 1 for 6 in the sorry second half.

Porsche Landry scored 15 points; however, she shot 6 for 16 from the field. Lesslee Mason was the only UH player to shoot above 50% (5 for 8, 62.5%) in the ball game.

Mason scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Mason was one of the few bright spots for Houston down the stretch.

Courtney Taylor recorded another double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds); but, she was clearly frustrated during the second half meltdown.

Marshall's Kendra King scored all 13 of her points in the second half; and, she caused havoc in the paint scoring on put backs and flip shots. King simply would not be denied in the second half.

Chantelle Handy led Marshall with a game-high 18 points. Handy drained two free throws to give Marshall a 61-59 lead before King answered with a three-point play to give the Thundering Herd the lead for good.

"Embarrassed. Frustrated. Disappointed. Just frustrated," said UH head coach Joe Curl summing up his mood after the loss.

Brittney Scott said, "We didn't come out with the same fire that we had in the first half."

The Cougars will try to bounce back from this difficult loss next Sunday versus UAB. Tip is set for 6 p.m.

See the postgame press conference at The Houston Roundball Review Fan Page.

Cougars lose to ECU in Overtime

2010-01-15T23:18:00.001-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheniz Pavilion) -- Someway, somehow the Houston Cougars forced overtime versus East Carolina Friday night; however, the Cougars lost to ECU 94-87 in the extra period in front of an announced crowd of 649 fans.

Houston's defense was porous much of the game and the Lady Pirates took advantage making 35 of 62 field goal attempts (56.5%) including a white-hot 66.7% (8 for 12) on three point shots.

ECU junior Allison Spivey scored a game-high 23 points for ECU. Spivey shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the Land of Three and all five buckets were wide open looks which swished threw the nets.

When Spivey wasn't killing the Cougars with outside buckets, sophomore point guard Ashley Clarke was beating UH perimeter defenders oof the dribble and scoring layups. Clarke scored 20 points on 8 for 16 shooting from the field.

"We just had a couple of breakdowns defensively," said Courtney Taylor. "Some players were supposed to hedge (on ECU's pick-and-rolls) and go under; and, some people were supposed to jam and go under. That killed us. The threes killed us."

ECU led UH 51-40 at halftime thanks to 61.3% shooting from the field. The Cougars made only 10 of 28 from the field (35.7%) in the opening 20 minutes; however, UH stayed relatively close thanks to 19 for 23 (82.6%) from the free throw line.

"I didn't feel like we played as aggressively defensively as we have become known," said UH head coach Joe Curl. "That's our identity -- defense. It seemed like we couldn't get that stop when we needed it."

Houston (8-8 overall, 2-1 in C-USA) trailed by 14 points (60-46) at the 17:31 mark of the second half; however, sophomore guard Roxana Button scored seven straight points during a 13-2 UH run to trim Houston's deficit to just three points (62-59) at the 12 minute mark.

Over the next six and a half minutes, East Carolina (15-2, 4-0) outscored the Cougars 17 to 8 to lead by 12 points (79-57) with a mere 5:26 left in the second half. Clarke scored six points during the ECU run.

After Allison Spivey made two free throws at the 4:45 mark, ECU led 81-70; however, the Lady Pirates did not score a single point the rest of the half.

Taylor scored four straight points to cut UH's deficit to four points; then, Brittney Scott made two foul shots at the 3:12 mark to pull Houston within five (81-76). Sophomore point guard Porsche Landry split two foul shots to narrow the deficit to four points at the 2:35 mark. Forty seconds later, Landry hit a jumper to bring the Cougars within just two points (81-79) in front of a re-juvenated crowd and a stunned ECU squad.

ECU missed a jump shot; and, after a missed three-point shot by Landry, Houston's Jasmine Johnson drove down the middle of the paint and made a layup to tie the game at 81 with 54 seconds on the game clock.

Spivey attempted a jump shot; but, shockingly, Landry blocked the shot and Courtney Taylor picked up the miss with 21 seconds remaining. Taylor tried an outlet pass to Brittney Scott in the front court; however, ECU's Crystal Wilson picked off the pass and ECU called timeout to set up a final play.

"I kind of hate that I threw that turnover at the end," Taylor said.

Clarke missed a contested jump shot at the buzzer; and, the game headed to overtime.

Houston, seemingly, had all of the momentum heading into the extra five minutes; however, ECU regrouped and worked the ball down low to 6'5 sophomore Jean Best. Best went to work and started the scoring with a three-point play. ECU continued working the ball down low; and, if Best was double-teamed, she passed the ball which resulted in a basket by an open teammate.

ECU dominated the extra session and outscored the Cougars 13 to 6 to pick up the victory.

Taylor led the Cougars with 20 points and 15 rebounds for her 31st career double-double. Lesslee Mason notched her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 boards. Brittney Scott scored 17 points; but, Scott had a nightmare shooting the ball Friday night. Scott was 2 for 19 overall and 0 for 10 on threes. Roxana Button added 14 points and Jasmine Johnson chipped in 12 points.

The Cougars shot 30 for 39 from the free throw line compared to 16 for 27 for ECU.

Houston's valiant comeback did not go unnoticed by Coach Curl.

"We showed a lot of guts coming back to tie the game (81-81). That's a total tribute to the kind of kids we have and their 'no quit' attitude."

"It was right there," Taylor lamented. "The game was right there. We just didn't capitalize on both ends."

Houston tries to bounce back Sunday afternoon, January 17, hosting Marshall. (Marshall lost to Rice Friday night 63-61.) Tip is set for 2 p.m.

Post-game video is on The Houston Roundball Review's fan page.

Jostens Rewarding Teams for Joining Fight Against Breast Cancer

2010-01-11T10:53:00.000-06:00

Passing along some information from the WBCA:

The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today the official WBCA Pink Zone® Contest presented by Jostens. The contest is an effort to reward participating teams in the WBCA Pink Zone who are also raising funds for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund®, in partnership with The V Foundation.

Jostens, long-time WBCA sponsor, will be giving a complimentary piece of jewelry from the Jostens Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund Jewelry Collection to the head coach of the team at each division (NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, JC/CC and High School/AAU) that raises the most funding during its WBCA Pink Zone game for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. They will also present a plaque to the winning team at each division at the 2010 WBCA National Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

The 2009 contest winners were N.C. State University (NCAA Division I), Bentley University (NCAA Division II), DePauw University (NCAA Division III), California Baptist University (NAIA), Southwestern Community College (JC/CC) and Sandia High School (High School/AAU).

The WBCA Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA’s nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The week set aside for this year’s initiative is February 12-21. The extent of involvement is up to the individual institution. For a complete list of participants, click here.

PV Proves to be too much for TSU

2010-01-09T22:13:00.096-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (H&PE Arena) -- Saturday afternoon, the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers showed the Texas Southern Lady Tigers the gap between the two basketball teams is still wide as PV routed TSU 76-53 in front of 2,017 fans gathered inside TSU's H&PE Arena.

Prairie View improves to 3-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference while TSU's SWAC record moves to 2-1.

"Prairie View is better than anybody in the entire conference," said TSU head coach Yolanda Wells-Broughton after the ball game. "I don't take anything away from them. They have three prolific scorers. You have to defend them for 40 minutes."

Coach Broughton did add she believes the distance between her squad and Prairie View is shrinking.

"I think we're getting closer. We're a whole lot closer than what the score dictates."

TSU managed to stay close in the first half. When Inisha Daughtry scored two points off an offensive rebound with 1:45 left in the first half, the Lady Tigers trailed Prairie View by just seven points (29-22). Then, Prairie View went to work.

Robin Jones hit two free throws; Dominque Smith hit her second three-point shot of the first half; Candace Thomas scored a runner in the paint and drew a foul (and a technical foul) on TSU's Trikeyia East. Thomas missed her foul shot; but, teammate Latara Darrett made both technical free throws; and, just like that, Prairie View led 38 to 22 at halftime.

Prairie View started the second half just like the first half ended -- aggressive. Gaati Werema scored eight points during a 26-15 PV run to give the Lady Panthers a 27 point lead (64-37) with eight plus minutes left in the ball game.

"They came out (in the second half) and wanted to pound us," Coach Broughton added. "We're really struggling with confidence, when we get behind and things are not going well for us offensively, we're letting the last play effect the next play."

Latara Darrett scored a game-high 22 points for Prairie View. Darrett also picked up six steals and grabbed seven rebounds. Werema added 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds (nine on offense). Candice Thomas scored 10 points and dished out six assists; and, Dominique Smith scored 11 points off the bench.

"I thought we played well," said Prairie View head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. "We played a lot better with a lot more confidence; but, it all starts with our defense. We changed defenses up from man to our different zones. We pressed a littlie bit; but, for the most part, we came out with the right level of intensity that we needed to compete against Texas Southern on their home court.

"As a result, shots started to fall; we started getting defensive stops; we were able to get out on the fast break. The rest is kind of history. I thought we played well. We didn't play our best game; but, I thought we played a lot better than we were playing."

Texas Southern committed 27 turnovers in the ball game. Prairie View picked up 15 steals.

Coach Broughton summarized the game, "I think that they wanted it more than us."

Listen to Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's post-game comments: "...I thought we played well..."

Listen to Yolanda Wells-Broughton's post-game comments: "...I think we're getting closer..."

Notes:
Prairie View point guard Trinity Robinson will miss 4 to 6 weeks with a dislocated right wrist.

TSU's Jasmine Payne will have knee surgery next week. Coach Broughton hopes for the best; however, she believes the knee injury is a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

"Surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday," Coach Broughton lamented. "As of now, she does have an ACL (tear). I'm praying that once the doctor gets in her knee maybe he'll see something different. Maybe, he just needs to clean it out; but, I believe in my gut, it's an ACL."

PV at TSU

2010-01-08T23:02:00.000-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (H&PE Arena) -- Saturday afternoon, 4 p.m. (CST).

Bragging rights are on the line as Prairie View heads to the H&PE Arena to play Texas Southern.

Both clubs are 2-0 in the SWAC.

Listen: www.ktsufm.org or 90.9 KTSU - FM Houston
or
Listen: KPVU 91.3 FM (http://129.207.37.37/kpvulive) with the pregame beginning around 3:30 p.m.

Owls Beat Roadrunners for 4th Straight Win (with Video)

2010-01-04T23:15:00.001-06:00

HOUSTON, TX -- The Rice Owls earned their fourth straight victory Monday night with a methodical 70-56 win over the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners inside Tudor Fieldhouse in front of 265 fans.

Despite 25 turnovers, the Owls controlled much of the action throughout the ball game and were never seriously challenged in the second half. The Owls have won six of seven after beginning the season 0 and 6.

"We knew we were better than that," said Owls' forward Megan Elliott. "And, we just couldn't seem to find our rhythm in games. Now, that we found it, I think we can be incredible."

Rice (6-7) was led by sophomore point guard D'Frantz Smart's near triple-double. Smart scored a team-high 18 points (6 for 12 from the field, including 2 for 4 on threes); pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds; and dished out seven assists in 37 minutes of work.

Megan Elliott led a very solid effort by the Owls' bench players with 15 points (4 for 7 from the field, 1 for 1 on threes); eight boards; two assitsts; and 1 steal. The Owls' reserves combined for 21 points and 16 rebounds.

The Owls led 5-0 for nearly three minutes as both teams struggled. UTSA's started the game with three straight turnovers; however, once the Roadrunners limited the turnovers, they couldn't put the ball in the basket. UTSA did not make a field goal until 14:58 was left in the first half; and, in fact, the Roadrunners made only 11 of 40 from the field (27.5%) in the first half combined with just 33.3% (3 for 9) from the foul line.

Rice led only 33-26 at halftime because of 16 first half turnovers.

Smart nailed a three-point shot to cap off a 12 to 4 Rice run to start the second half which gave the Owls a 45-30 lead at the 15:52 mark of the half. UTSA scored six straight points to cut the Owls lead to nine points; however, five different Owls players (including three bench players) scored during a 16 to 5 run to put the Owls ahead by 20 (61-41) with 7:31 remaining in the game.

The Roadrunners answered with one final push and turned up the full-court defense to cut the lead in half (63-53); however, Smart settled her teammates down and Rice scored the final seven points of the game from the foul line.

"I definitely think confidence is huge," Smart said." When we're knocking down shots and finishing out games, even when we were up by about 17 (actually 20 points); and, they came back and closed the lead to about down to 10, we stayed composed. We knew we still had the game in our hands."

The Owls finished the game shooting 41.1% (23 for 56) from the field overall; however, the team was 8 for 17 from behind the three-point line.

"We're shooting the ball pretty well," said Owls head coach Greg Williams. "We're 25 for 49 the last three games from three.

"We had five different players make a three. Four in double-figures. Great balance."

UTSA (6-6) was led by Judy Jones' 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The Owls start Conference USA play this Friday with a road game versus Texas-El Paso. Tip is set for 8 p.m.

Coogs' Solid Effort Not Enough versus Horned Frogs - with VIDEO

2009-12-31T16:19:00.000-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars faced a very good Texas Christian University team Thursday afternoon without Courtney Taylor -- UH's best player; however, based on the Coogs' very solid effort, you could hardly tell Taylor wasn't playing in the game. Unfortunately, the solid effort was not enough as the Horned Frogs edged the Cougars 66-61 in front of 505 fans on Fan Appreciation Day.

TCU's Helena Sverrisdottir led all scorers with 26 points. Sverrisdottir scored from deep; she scored in the post; she initiated the offense; and, she pulled down six rebounds; and blocked one shot in 36 minutes of action.

"Overall, I'm really pleased, said Houston head coach Joe Curl after the game. "Starting with our effort. I just felt like we played really hard and played against a really good basketball team."

Houston's Lesslee Mason scored four straight points to give the Cougars a 14-13 lead at the 10:21 mark of the first half. Brittany Mason hit a short jump shot; and, Megan scored a putback layup to put the Cougars ahead 18-13 with 8:48 remaining in the half.

TCU tied the game at 23 on a three-point basket by TK LaFleur; then, Sverrisdottir scored a layup to give the Horned Frogs a lead they would not relinquish. The Horned Frogs closed out the first half with a 11 to 2 to lead Houston 34-25 at halftime.

At one point in the first half, Houston held a 17 to 8 rebounding edge which helped keep them close to TCU.

TCU (9-3) increased the lead to 14 points (42-28) on a three-point bucket from Sverrisdottir; however, the Cougars methodically trimmed down their deficit.

Houston sophomore point guard scored nine points in an 18 to 8 UH run to pull the Cougars within four points (50-46) with 9:42 left in the ball game.

"I was more aggressive today," Landry said. "I was trying to push the ball more and get everybody involved."

Landry finished the game with a team-high 19 points; five rebounds; three assists and three steals.

Houston's run continued as Roxana Button drained a three-point shot to pull UH within one point (52-51) with 8:05 on the game clock.

Sverrisdottir then six straight points for the Horned Frogs ssanced around Button's splitting two free throws to make the score 58-52 TCU with just 4:26 left in the ball game.

Landry hit a jump shot; but, teammate Jasmine Johnson split two more free throws to help TCU keep the Cougars at arms length.

TCU's Emily Carter then got a very lucky roll on a tough jump shot to put the Horned Frogs ahead 60-55 at the 3:43 mark.

The Cougars pulled within one point by making four straight free throws; however, with the shot clock winding down to zero seconds, TCU's TK LaFleur rolled in a tough jump shot off an inbounds lay to stretch the lead to three points (62-59) with 1:11 on the clock.

Jasmine Johnson missed a tough driving layup; then, with 44 seconds remaining, LaFleur split two foul shots. Landry drained a jumper to trim UH's deficit to 63-61 with 29 seconds remaining.

However, Emily Carter made two free throws; then, Houston's Brittney Scott followed with a missed jumper and Carter was fouled and she split two free throws to close out the scoring. Carter scored 17 points (5 for from the field, 5 for 6 on free throws) in the game.

Scott scored 12 points for Houston; however, she struggled from the field making just three of her 18 shot attempts.

"I don't feel like my shots were falling like they usually do," Scott said. "So, I tried to drive. I only went to the line once or twice. I think I played an okay game. I know I've had better. I know I could have had a better game if I would have drove (to the basket) at the beginning of the game and get my shot going at least. I tried to pick it up on the defensive end since my shots didn't fall like they usually do."

Houston (6-7) takes a few days off before starting Conference USA play next weekend on the road versus Tulane (January 8) and UTEP (January 10).

Scott believes the Cougars are ready for C-USA play.

"I think we're ready. I know we're ready physically. I think it will be more being ready mentally and stepping up to the challenge."

Landry added, "Yes, we're ready."

Coach Curl summarized, "I certainly feel better today about where we're at than I did maybe yesterday or the day before before we've coached the kids up to get ready to play and compete for 40 minutes."

Owls' Strong Second Half Halts Hofstra -- with VIDEO

2009-12-30T23:28:00.001-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Tudor Fieldhouse) -- The Rice Owls used a 52 point second half explosion to race past Hofstra 90-71 Wednesday night in front of a small, vocal crowd of 377 fans.

Hofstra led the Owls 39-38 at halftime; however, after both teams went back-and-forth the first eight minutes of the second half, Owls' freshman Zoe Rogers hit a three-point shot to break open a 54 all tie and kick start a 28 to 5 Owls' run to blow the game wide open.

Rogers scored seven points in the game and her low post defense helped slow down the Hofstra Pride's front court dominance from continuing in the second half.

The Owls (4-7) outscored the Pride's bench 23 to 9.

"That kept us in the game," said Owls head coach Greg Williams.

"It's a great feeling knowing that your bench can produce," added Owls' sophomore point guard D'Frantz Smart.

Smart scored a team-high 24 points (5 for 8 from the field, 12 for 14 from the foul line) in the game and added a game-high seven assists.

Jackie Stanley, Owls starting forward, added 20 points (8 for 13 from the field) and five rebounds in just 18 minutes of action.

"I got hot," Stanley said. "We were just playing well. We were running well. Once we get in the flow, I think, it's hard to get us out of it."

Hofstra (7-5) was led by a game-high 30 points from freshman forward Shante Evans. Candice Bellocchio added 35 points and five assists while Jess Fuller chipped in with 10 points.

The Owls shot 56.0% (28 for 50) from the field for the ball game including a very efficient and effective 66.7% (8 for 12) from three-point range.

Junior post Morgan Mayse added 10 points and six rebounds for the Owls; Megan Elliott produced eight points and four boards off the bench; and, senior point guard Shyrelle Horne added three points, three rebounds, and five assists in 13 minutes off the bench.

"We attacked their zone very well," Coach Williams touted. "I keep thinking we're better shooters because we shoot so many threes (in practice)."

"That's a very solid team that we beat," Williams summarized. "This was, by far, our best performance."

The Owls have won two straight ball games and head to the road to play George Washington this Saturday, January 2, at 11 a.m.

Aggies Rout Prairie View -- with VIDEOS

2009-12-28T23:38:00.000-06:00

COLLEGE STATION, TX (Reed Arena) -- The #10 Texas A&M Aggies started slowly Monday night versus the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers; but, the Aggies amped up the defense and overwhelmed the Lady Panthers 89-48 in front of 4,059 fans gathered inside Reed Arena.

PV's head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke did not mince any words after the game, "I thought we got out played by the number 10 team in the country. Texas A&M proved why they are the number 10 team in the country because they play on both ends of the court. Everybody that stepped on the court contributed. We were just out played tonight. Out hustled and out played."

After Gaati Werema made a jumper to give PV a 12-10 lead, the Aggies finished the first half with a 33 to 17 run to lead the shorter Lady Panthers 43-29 at halftime.

Aggies' sophomore post Kelsey Assarian started the first game of her career; and, she worked over PV in the first half with a career-high 10 points in the opening 20 minutes. Assarian shot 5 for 6 from the field and grabbed four rebounds in just 14 minutes.

Assarian said, "I felt really good. I just came out there and tried to play the best I could. The starting position is a really big for me -- being the first one of my career. I just tried to play tough."

In the second half, the Aggies went to Danielle Adams in the post early and often; and, Adams responded with 10 points in the first 4:41 minutes. Adams scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the second half.

"I think it was our plan to get the ball inside because they were a lot shorter than us," said Adams after the game.

Aggies' senior Tanisha Smith produced her second career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Smith also dished out five assists. Smith shot 8 for 14 from the field.

Texas A&M (10-1) outscored Prairie View A&M (3-6) 52 to 32 in the paint. The Aggies shot 43.8% (32 for 73) from the field; but, the Aggies dominated the boards and out rebounded PV 54 to 38. The Aggies also forced 23 PV turnovers.

Gary Blair, Aggies head coach, was pleased he was able to get 15 players time on the court - especially his freshmen.

"I was able to get 15 kids some minutes; and, those kids needed it because I've been playing nine or 10 players. But, those freshmen needed those minutes."

Coach Blair said the time off for the holiday probably contributed to his team's slow start.

"When you haven't played in five or six days, usually your shooting percentage and your free throws go down and your turnovers go up. Generally, that's the way it happens; but, I'll live with 15 turnovers."

Next up for the Aggies is a Wednesday, December 30, road game versus New Mexico.

"Let's turn the page and get ready for New Mexico. If none of you have ever played in The Pit (New Mexico's home arena), that is the hardest arena I have ever played in in my life is playing a basketball game in front of 10,000. I'm 0 and 1 there; so, I'd like to even up my record there."

McCray Leads Kansas Over Cougars -- with VIDEO

2009-12-22T23:06:00.003-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars hosted the #21 Kansas Jayhawks Tuesday night; and, the Jayhawks showed the Cougars why they're ranked. Danielle McCray, All-American senior guard, scored 37 points as KU defeated Houston 89-69 in front of an announced crowd of 463 fans. (The 463 fans may be the largest home crowd for Houston throughout this season. Ironically, most of the fans were cheering for Kansas.)

McCray kicked off the scoring by making a layup off a baseline out of bounds play which the UH coaching staff was screaming for their players to be ready before it happened.

That lapse was symbolic for the Cougars throughout the ball game.

"We got beat by a better basketball team," said Houston head coach Joe Curl. "They outdid us in every phase of the game."

McCray is extremely talented; but, Houston made life very easy for her in the first half. McCray found herself wide open quite often and she took full advantage. McCray scored 25 points (12 for 13 from the field); grabbed 7 rebounds; dished out 4 assists; and picked up 2 steals -- in the first half. 19 minutes of work.

The Jayhawks shot 66.7% (20 for 30) in the opening 20 minutes and led the Cougars 46-31 at the half. Houston made just 11 of their 29 shot attempts for 37.9%. Brittney Scott led the Cougars with 10 first-half points.

Houston compounded their offensive and defensive struggles by shooting 6 for 14 from the free throw line.

Houston (6-5) continued struggling defending the Jayhawks in the second half as Kansas (9-2) shot 61.3% (19 for 31) from the field.

The Cougars shot better from the field in the second half (46.9%, 15 for 32); but, Houston's poor defense and poor free throw shooting (12 for 24 from the foul line) doomed their chances of getting close to Kansas.

Scott's 22 points led four Houston players in double-figures. Courtney Taylor scored 16; point guard Jasmine Johnson added 14 points; and Brittany Mason scored a career-high 11 points.

After the game, Scott said, "I think we should have come out and played a little bit harder; start out better. Get a better start to the game. I think that would have picked us up more. I think we should have played with more intensity also from the jump."

Mason played solid defense on McCray in the second half; and, in fact, Mason blocked one McCray's shot attempts.

"She's a good player. I remember her from last year (Kansas defeated UH last year in Kansas)," said Mason. "Last night, I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about guarding her."

Twelve Jayhawks played in the game; and, all 12 scored at least two points including six points from Carolyn Davis (Fort Bend Bush HS) and two points from Annette Davis (Bellaire HS).

McCray finished the game making 17 of her 22 field goals (including 3 for 5 from three point range) and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Houston's next game is on the road, December 28, versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

Houston Loses to Princeton -- with VIDEO

2009-12-20T17:11:00.000-06:00

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars played the final 24 minutes without star player Courtney Taylor (accidentally elbowed to the right side of her head); were out rebounded by a ton; but, the Coogs managed to claw and stay close to the Princeton Tigers to the end. However, missed free throws and lapses on defense doomed the Cougars and the Tigers pulled away down the stretch for a 71-60 victory in front of a very small (but vocal) crowd of 381 fans.

"We just couldn't quite get over the hump," said Houston head coach Joe Curl. "I felt like the effort was there. I just didn't think we did as good as job defensively as we could have and that we will do in the future."

Princeton (9-2) received double-doubles from sophomore Devona Allgood (21 points and 11 rebounds) and freshman Niveen Rasheed (24 points and 14 rebounds). Allgood made her first eight field goal attempts. Allgood shot 9 for 10 from the field and 3 for 3 from the foul line.

Houston's offense struggled throughout the ball game. Shooters passed up shots while penetrators took shots they normally don't take.

Houston (6-4) trailed Princeton 33 to 26 at the half. The Coogs shot just 34.5% (10 for 29) from the field in the first half while the Tigers weren't much better with their 37.8% (14 for 37) field goal effort. Princeton owned the glass in the first half 29 boards to 15. Eleven of the 29 rebounds came on the offensive glass.

In the second half, Houston got within two points twice; however, after trailing Princeton 42-40, Houston's offense bogged down and the Coogs' defense couldn't get stops which allowed the Tigers to go on a 24 to 12 to lead 66-52 with just 4:39 on the clock.

Houston's Brittney Scott scored six straight points and teammate Brittany Mason scored a layup to narrow Houston's deficit to just six points (66-60) with 1:13 remaining; however, four missed free throws in the final minute combined with eight missed field goals sealed the Cougars' fate and preserved the Princeton win.

"I think we started off kind of rocky on offense," Scott said after the game. "We should have been driving (to the basket) from the beginning."

The Coogs shot an icy 33.3% (22 for 66) from the field for the game.

Scott led the Cougars with a team-high 23 points (8 for 20 from the field). Lesslee Mason added nine points and 14 rebounds.

Houston returns to action Tuesday, December 22, with a matchup with Kansas. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

48-Hour Sale for Tix to K.C. Regional

2009-12-16T14:12:00.000-06:00

All-Session Tickets for the 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Kansas City Regional will be specially priced for 48 hours from 10 a.m. CST on Thursday, December 17, until 10 a.m. CST on Saturday, December 19.

The price of the tickets during these 48 hours will be $30, almost a 40 percent discount off the regular price. To purchase tickets, click on the following link: http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/m6hdhm. The special code is STOCKINSTUFFER. Tickets purchased will be mailed in February.

The Kansas City Regional will be held Sunday and Tuesday, March 28 and 30, 2010, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Game times will be at 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. CST on March 28 and at 8:00 p.m. CST on March 30. The winner of the Kansas City Regional advances to the Women’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.

Aggies Improve to 7-0

2009-12-08T22:48:00.002-06:00

UPDATE, 12/09/09, 5:30pm. -- Here's an update to Sydney Colson's knee injury. It's not an ACL injury.

COLLEGE STATION, TX -- The Texas A&M Aggies started slowly Tuesday night versus the undersized North Texas Mean Green; but, the #5 / #10 Aggies took care of business in a HUGE way and routed UNT 108 to 49 in front of 3,144 fans gathered inside Reed Arena.

UNT led the Aggies 9-8 after two free made throws by freshman Jasmine Godbolt with 16:23 left in the first half. Aggies junior post Danielle Adams socred an easy layup to put the Aggies ahead for good 10 to 9. UNT tied the game at 10; however, after Tanisha Smith drained a jumper to give the Aggies a 12 to 10 lead, the Aggies closed the half with a 44 to 12 run to lead the Mean Green 56 to 22 at the break.

The only suspense after halftime was not the final score but the health status of Aggies players.

During the first half, Adams drew an offensive foul on UNT's Tamara Torru and fell to the court and hit her head. Adams suffered a slight concussion; and, she did not return to the game.

Also in the half, sophomore guard Syndey Carter re-injured her right thumb. Carter left the game in tremendous pain; and, she didn't return to the game.

With 11:15 left in the game, Sydney Colson hit a three-point shot to give the Aggies a 50 point lead (77 to 27); however, Colson injured her right knee after the shot. Colson stayed on the court a few minutes in obvious pain to everyone inside Reed Arena. Colson was helped to the bench and then she was taken to see a doctor.

The status of the injury is not yet known. More will be known Wednesday.

The Aggies (7-0) led by as much as 65 points (102 - 37) in the game. The overmatched Mean Green (3-7) committed 37 turnovers and shot just 25.5% (13 for 51) from the field.

Six different Aggies scored in double figures. Tanisha Smith's 16 points led all scorers. Damitria Buchanan added a career-high 15 points. The Aggies shot 57.0% (45 for 79) from the field and dished out 32 assists on those 45 made baskets.

Next up for the Aggies is a road game Saturday, December 12, versus TCU.

Owls Sweep C-USA Weekly Honors

2009-12-07T19:21:00.001-06:00

The Rice Owls picked up their first two wins of the 2009 - 2010 season over the weekend; and, redshirt sophomore Jackie Stanley and freshman Jessica Goswitz were two reasons for wins.

Today, Conference USA recognized the two of them for their standout play last week:

IRVING, Texas - Rice University swept this week's Conference USA women's basketball weekly award honors, marking the first time this season a program has taken both accolades. After averaging a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds per game junior F Jackie Stanley was selected as the C-USA Player of the Week, while teammate Jessica Goswitz was voted Freshman of the Week. Goswitz averaged seven points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds in Rice's two wins last week.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JACKIE STANLEY, RICE
6-2, Jr., F (Wylie, Texas/Kansas State)

Stanley led Rice to its first two victories of the season by averaging a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds per game. For her efforts she was selected as the MVP of the Gene Hackerman Invitational. She had a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes vs. UT-Pan American and followed that with a career and game-high 36 points and career and game-high 14 rebounds vs. Sam Houston State in the championship game. Stanley's 36 points, 14 field goals made and 26 attempted was a C-USA single-game weekly best as well as her .889 (8-of-9) performance from the free throw line. This is Stanley's first Player of the Week honor.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

JESSICA GOSWITZ, RICE
5-5, Fr., G (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Goswitz averaged seven points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds in Rice's two wins last week. She led the Owls with nine assists and a team-high five steals. She scored seven points against both UT-Pan American and Sam Houston State. Goswitz also had six rebounds against SHSU and six assists vs. UTPA. This is her first Freshman of the Week award.