University of Houston
1-3
Middle Tennessee
2-1
Women's Basketball Loses 69-68 Thriller To Middle Tennessee
11/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2007
HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team had a pair of game-winning shots come up short in the final seconds as the Cougars dropped their third-straight game, a 69-68 decision to Middle Tennessee in non-conference action Monday on Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion.
After a turnover by MTSU's Johnna Abney with nine seconds left and no UH timeouts remaining, Tye Jackson (Houston, Texas/Westfield HS/Purdue) brought the ball up the floor and took the ball down the lane and her layup attempt found the back iron with three seconds left.
The rebound ended up in the hands of Twiggy McIntyre (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa HS/Kansas State) but her jumper at the buzzer fell short and the Blue Raiders escaped with the one-point win.
Houston (1-3) mounted a late second-half comeback from a 13-point deficit thanks to 19-7 run in the game's final 6:04. The Cougars held Middle Tennessee (2-1) to three field goals in the final eight minutes of the game.
After trailing by five at the break, UH used a 15-4 run in the first 7:07 of the second half to knot things up at 49 apiece with 12:53 left. The Cougars would not score for the next 6:51 and trailed 62-49 with 7:08 to go.
Courtney Taylor (Crockett, Texas/Crockett HS) split a pair of free throws with 6:04 left to snap the scoreless skid and started Houston's closing run. Taylor added seven of her team- and career-high 18 points in the last six minutes of the game.
Brittney Scott (Orange, Texas/West Orange Stark HS) added a pair of big three pointers during the run, including the 21-footer with 37 seconds left that pulled the Cougars within one. She finished with a career-high 14 points.
Jackson finished with 15 and McIntyre added 11 along with five assists. Brittany Mason (LaPorte, Texas/LaPorte HS) added a team-high eight rebounds.
The Blue Raiders' Amber Holt led all players with 30 points and 15 rebounds. Anne-Marie Lanning added 11 off the bench.
Houston shot nearly 60 percent in the first half (12-for-21/.571), was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe and still trailed by seven. MTSU knocked down seven three pointers in the half and used a full-court press to force UH into 16 turnovers. Those giveaways were converted into 18 Blue Raider points.
After leading by 5, 5-0 at the 14:52 mark, MTSU went on a 27-8 run that was paced by four triples and seven UH turnovers. The Blue Raiders held a 14-point cushion, 27-13, with 8:15 left in the half.
A 9-0 UH run pulled the deficit down to five, 27-22, with 5:54 to go, but the Cougars failed to capitalize and found themselves down by 11, 39-28, with 2:02 left.
McIntyre scored six of Houston's final 10 points in the half and the Cougars whittled the margin to seven, 41-34 at the break.
The action was slow to get started with the teams starting a combined 0-for-8 from the field with 10 turnovers. Courtney Taylor scored the game's first field goal with 14:52 in the first half.
The Cougars head back on the road this week for the National City Xavier Invitational at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cougars take on Xavier at 7 p.m. CST Friday, Liberty at 5 p.m. Saturday and McNeese State at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Fans can listen to a free internet radio broadcast of all UH games this year by clicking on the Stretch Internet Broadcast link at UHCougars.com.
