University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
UAB
Lady Cougars Fall to UAB
2/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2002
UAB capitalized on five Houston fouls in the opening five minutes and scored seven points off free throws en route to building a quick 10-0 lead and never looked back as they cruised to a 86-55 victory to snap the Lady Cougars' season-high five-game winning streak on Friday (Feb. 1) night at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Lady Blazers went up quick and completely shut down the Houston offense until sophomore Chandi Jones put in a two-point lay up for the Houston's first score with 13:35 left in the first half. Jones then narrowed the UAB lead to ten points at 20-30 on a three-pointer with 3:14 left to the half before the Lady Blasers' Michelle Smith, who finished the night with a game-high 27 points, sparked a 13-2 run for UAB as they entered half-time with a 43-22 lead.
UAB scored 26 of their first-half 43 points in the paint, and 13 points off free throws as a result of nine Houston fouls. The win for the Lady Blazers was their second straight over the Lady Cougars, as well as their first conference win of the season.
Jones, who recorded half of Houston's 22 points in the first half, led the Lady Cougars with 22 points on the night, and was joined by freshmen Shondra Bush (12 points) and KiKi Harris (10 points) in double figures.
The loss for the Lady Cougars was their first in six games, and their first loss to a Conference USA opponent since TCU on Jan. 13. The five-game win streak - which included four straight against C-USA foes -- was the longest such streak since posting six consecutive victories during the 2000-01 campaign from Jan. 7-Feb. 2.
Houston's record now rests at 14-6 overall on the year, including 4-3 in C-USA action.
Next up, the Lady Cougars travel to Tampa, Florida, to take on the South Florida Bulls on Sunday, February 3, with tip-off scheduled for 1:00p.m. (CT). The game can be heard in Houston over the airwaves on KGBC 1540 AM.
