Women's Basketball Opens Season Monday with Exhibition Contest
11/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2009
HOUSTON - For the first time this season, fans will be able to get a look at the 2009-10 University of Houston women's basketball team as Monday it hits the court for an exhibition contest against the Houston Jaguars at 7 p.m. inside Hofheinz Pavilion.
The Cougars look to be solid during the upcoming season as they return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's 19-10 campaign which saw them finish in a tie for second in Conference USA with an 11-5 league record. Overall, Houston returns 86.9 percent of its total offensive production from a year ago.
Highlighting the list of returners for UH is First Team All-Conference performer Courtney Taylor, who earned multiple accolades last season after averaging 16.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game en route to producing 16 double-doubles. Taylor, a junior forward from Crockett, Texas, enters the 2009-10 campaign with 25 career double-doubles and trails only former Cougar Sancho Lyttle, who had 35 during her time at UH, for the most double-doubles in program history.
Also back this season is junior guard Brittney Scott who emerged as a legitimate scoring threat and averaged 12.8 points per game a year ago. Forward Ashlee' Joseph is the lone senior on this year's roster and brings the experience of 87 career games with her to the squad.
Junior forward Brittany Mason and sophomore point guard Porsche Landry are also returning starters for the Cougars, joining returners Jasmine Johnson, Megan Morton and Roxana Button who all earned valuable experience as underclassmen a year ago.
Head coach Joe Curl enters his 12th season at helm of the Houston women's basketball program after a season full of milestones last year. During the 2008-09 campaign, Curl earned his 300th career coaching victory and also nabbed his 176th win at UH, moving him past former coach Dot Woodfin for the most coaching victories in program history.
The Jaguars are an exhibition team, which features several former Cougars, including Sha'Ratta Hawkins (2006-07), Tye Jackson (2005-08), Chandi Jones (2000-04), Sunshine Misa-Uli (2006-07) and Darla Simpson (1988-92). The Jaguars played at Memphis on Sunday and defeated the Tigers, 83-68.
Houston will officially begin its 2009-10 season on the road this Friday when it travels to Boiling Springs, N.C., to face Gardner-Webb.
