University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Valparaiso
Lady Cougars Advance to WNIT Semifinals with Win at Valparaiso
3/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 20, 2002
Despite a slow start and low-scoring game from tip-off, the University of Houston Lady Cougars came out strong in the second half and once again played a stellar defensive game as they held on to defeat the home Valparaiso Crusaders by a final of 61-53 in the quarterfinal round of the 2002 Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) at the Athletic-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Wednesday (March 20) night.
With the win, Houston advances to the semifinal round - the "Final Four" - of the WNIT and will play at Virginia Tech of the Big East Conference on Saturday, March 23.
Houston scored first on a trey by junior Angela Curl, who ended the night with a season-high 18 points and a 5-for-6 performance from the three-point line, and never looked back. Led by senior Valerie Muoneke, who for the third straight game pulled down double digits in rebounds with 12 on the night, and sophomore Nicole Oliver's four steals, the Lady Cougars were able to begin a scoring spree while defending against Valpo's offensive attack. Sophomore standout Chandi Jones scored eight straight points as Houston mounted a 15-8 lead, and held the Crusaders to under 10 points until Kathryn Knoester hit a three-pointer with 9:45 left to the half.
That trey by Knoester sparked a 7-0 run for Valpo to tie the game at 15-15 with just over eight minutes remaining in the opening half. After getting their first lead of the night on two free throws, Houston freshman Shondra Bush put in lay up to put Houston back on top, 17-16, and they went on to carry a 25-18 lead into the locker room.
Valpo opened the first 1:11 of the second half with seven quick points, tying the game once again at 25-25 with 18:49 remaining, then quickly went up by four on yet another basket by Knoester. Down 29-27, Curl sailed in a trey to put Houston back on top by one at 30-29. After Jones and Muoneke each put in two-point jumpers, Curl's back-to-back treys, just 40 seconds apart, gave the Lady Cougars' an eight-point cushion at 40-32 with 12 minutes left on the clock.
Jones, who closed out the night with her 52nd consecutive double-digit scoring contest with a game-high 20 points, increased the Lady Cougars' lead to a game-high 13 at 48-35 with just under 10 minutes to go. As both teams continued to battle, Houston never let Valpo get close enough to overtake the lead one final time. Valpo's last effort came in Amber Schober, who sailed in a three-pointer to shave Houston's lead to 59-53 with 31 seconds on the clock.
Jones and Curl were the lone Lady Cougars to reach double figures in points with 20 and 18, respectively, while Muoneke was once again the game's leading rebounder with 12 boards in addition to her two blocks. Oliver and Jones each had four steals, and Jones had a team-high three assists.
Houston improves to 25-7 overall on the year, the second-highest win total in school history behind the 1977-78 squad which finished at 26-15, and its current .781 winning percentage remains the best ever in the program's 27-year history
