University of Houston
Texas A&M -Corpus Christi
Lady Cougars Defeat Islanders 66-43
2/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2003
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - All-American Chandi Jones posted a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds as the University of Houston women's basketball team defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 66-43 in a non-conference game Tuesday night at the Circle K Court. The Lady Cougars (11-10, 2-6 C-USA) wrap up their four game road stand with a 1-3 record and finish 9-4 against non-conference opponents in regular season play.
Jones (26.9 ppg), who ranks second in the nation in scoring, earned her eighth double-double of the season in only 27 minutes of play KiKi Harris was the other Lady Cougar to score in double figures, posting 10 points in the win. All but two Lady Cougars chipped in points as Houston stopped a three-game losing skid.
Boosted by Jones' 11 points, Houston took an 18-8 lead in the first 10 minutes of play. TAMU-CC's first six points were foul shots, as the Islanders were 0-8 until Kristin Rogers hit a jumper at the 11:08 mark. Sara Hinkley came off the bench and nailed a trey at 7:51 to put the Lady Cougars ahead 23-8 but in foul trouble, committing 10 as team in first half alone.
The Islanders were 4-26 from the floor and scored only 16 points in the first half -- the lowest percentage (15.4) in school history. Jones scored 17 of Houston's 32 points as the Lady Cougars led by 16 at the break
TAMU-CC opened the second half shooting 57 percent with a 10-4 run to cut its deficit to 10, 36-26. Houston answered with a 13-0 run of its own, leading 53-28 with 9:40 remaining. The Lady Cougars continued to dominate as head coach Joe Curl utilized his bench for the final three minutes as Houston prevailed 66-43.
The Lady Cougars allowed the Islanders to score only 27 points in the second half. The victory was Houston's first road win since Dec. 6 when it defeated Florida in the opening round of the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational.
Houston will return to the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion this week as its hosts Memphis (11-11, 4-5 C-USA) Friday at 7 p.m. and Saint Louis (14-10, 5-4 C-USA) Sunday at 3 p.m. in an ESPN2 televised event.
