University of Houston
6-3
Georgia
6-3
Lady Cougars Upset No. 20 Georgia at Home
12/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2002
The Lady Cougars came out strong with six quick points from tip-off on back-to-back treys by junior All-American Chandi Jones and battled back with a 13-0 run in the closing three minutes to overtake No. 20 Georgia by a final of 81-78 on Friday (Dec. 20) night at Hofheinz Pavilion.
With a 20-15 lead with just over 12 minutes left in the opening half, Georgia came back to pull within one on a lay up and two free throws by Alexis Kendrick before Houston sophomore Shondra Bush nailed a three-pointer to put Houston back up on top by four. The Lady Bulldogs took their first lead of the night, 24-23, at the ten minute mark, and Houston answered with a 9-0 run sparked by Bush's second trey of the night to build a commanding 32-24 lead. Georgia battled back, with Ebony Felder sinking a jumper at the buzzer as the Lady Bulldogs carried a 37-36 lead into the locker room at the half.
Led by Jones, who finished the night shooting 13-of-16 from the floor for a game-high 37 points, the Lady Cougars marched a comeback in the second half. After Jones sunk two free throws to put Houston back on top, 38-37, Georgia answered with seven straight points while shutting down the Houston offense. Jones once again came through with a jumper and a trey to put her team back on top by one with about 17 minutes remaining in regulation.
Down 75-69 with 3:52 left, the Lady Cougars began their 13-0 run en route to taking the game. Two consecutive Georgia fouls put Houston's KiKi Harris at the free throw line, and she went on to sink all four to pull Houston to within one point with 2:09 left on the clock. The Lady Cougars rebounded and LaShinda Winters, who made her Lady Cougar debut after red-shirting following her transfer from SFA one year ago, sailed in a jumper to give Houston a slim 76-75 advantage.
Oliver forced a Georgia turnover on their next possession and passed the ball to Jones, who marched down the court for another two-pointer to give Houston a three-point lead. Upon being fouled on the shot by Georgia's Mary Beth Lycett, Jones returned to the free throw line and sunk both to again put Houston up by five (81-75) with just seven seconds remaining.
Georgia's Kendrick sailed in a three-pointer with one second left for the 81-78 final.
Joining Jones in double figures for the Lady Cougars was Harris with 12, who shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe and pulled down eight rebounds. Oliver led Houston with nine boards, while Driskell and Kara Braxton led the lady Bulldogs with 10 and 14 rebounds, respectively. In addition to her game-high 37 points-the fifth time this season she has registered 0-or-more points in a game-Jones had a game-high four steals and added two assists.
The win was the Lady Cougars' first over a Top 25 team this season, and improved their overall season mark to 6-3. Next up, Houston hosts former Southwest Conference rival Texas A&M on Dec. 31 at Hofheinz Pavilion with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m.
