University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Head West for Duel in the Desert Tournament
12/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2010
GAME #8 • HOUSTON (6-1) vs. No. 21 Nebraska (8-1), Dec. 18 (6 p.m. CT)
GAME #9 • HOUSTON (6-1) vs. Louisville (8-3), Dec. 19 (6 p.m. CT)
GAME #10 • HOUSTON (6-1) vs. Marist (6-2), Dec. 20 (6 p.m. CT)
GAME NOTES - HOUSTON
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dec. 18-20, 2010 | Las Vegas, Nev. | Cox Pavilion (3,100)
Radio: Houston ISP Sports Network online broadcast powered by Stretch Internet
Jeremy Branham (play-by-play), Neil Raphael (color)
Internet: UHCougars.com (, Listen Live)
HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team returns to action after an 11-day layoff at the Duel in the Desert Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev., Saturday against No. 21 Nebraska. The Cougars follow with contests against Louisville on Sunday and Marist on Monday. All three games will tip at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Houston last played on Dec. 7 against UTSA, defeating the Roadrunners, 71-59. Senior forward Courtney Taylor earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors after posting 24 points, 14 rebounds, five steals, three assists and two blocks against UTSA.
The Cougars currently top C-USA in scoring offense (76.1 ppg), scoring margin (+11.1), rebounding (45.3 rpg) and blocked shots (5.4 bpg). Taylor ranks third nationally with 12.4 rebounds per game and fourth with six double-doubles, while fellow senior Lesslee Mason ranks 20th in the nation with 2.6 blocks per contest.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
Nebraska has picked up where it left off last season, winning eight of the first nine games, despite returning only two starters off of last season's squad that went 32-2.
The Huskers feature a balanced attack, as four players are scoring in double figures along with five players pulling down at least 4.0 rebounds per contest. All 12 players are seeing at least 7.5 minutes per game.
Senior Dominique Kelley and freshman phenom Jordan Hooper lead the Huskers in points per game with 15.4 apiece. Nebraska has averaged 75.6 points per game while holding its opponents to a 58.3-point mark. The Huskers are also winning the rebounding battle by a 39.7-36.2 margin.
Louisville returns four starters off of last season's team that advanced to the Women's Basketball Invitational, and three players from the 2009 NCAA National Runner-Up squad. The Cardinals are 8-3 overall this season and have won five straight games, including a 78-52 blowout of then-No. 9 Kentucky.
The Cardinals have averaged 79.8 points through the first 10 contents while holding their opponents to only 55.0 points per game, which ranks eighth nationally in scoring margin (+24.8).
Monique Reid leads the Cardinals with 15.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Shoni Schimmel has chipped in 14.7 points and 5.7 assists per contest.
Marist returns four of its starters from last year's team that claimed the MAAC title to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Red Foxes are 6-2 overall and have gone 5-1 away from home this season.
The Red Foxes are limiting their opponents to only 52.5 points per game, which ranks 22nd nationally. Corielle Yarde leads Marist with 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest, while three other players are averaging at least 8.8 points per game.
HOUSTON VERSUS THE OPPONENTS
Houston and Nebraska will meet for the first time since Nov. 22, 2000, when the Huskers posted a 65-53 victory over the Cougars in Lincoln. The two teams have only met on two other occasions, splitting games at neutral sites. The Cougars took the first contest by a score of 86-80 in 1977 at the Wayland Baptist Invitational.
The Cougars and Cardinals will renew their old C-USA rivalry, where Louisville won nine of 11 overall games against Houston. The two teams last met on March 5, 2005, in their only neutral site matchup, as the Cardinals posted a 56-48 victory in the C-USA Tournament. Houston has dropped four straight to Louisville since defeating the Cardinals in 2002 at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Houston and Marist will meet for the first time in the history of the two programs.
UP NEXT
After wrapping up play at the Duel in the Desert Tournament, the Cougars return home to play host to No. 19 Georgetown at 7:00 p.m., Dec. 28. The meeting with the Hoyas will be the first between the two schools and the first against a Big East school since the Cougars faced West Virginia in 2006. The contest will also be the fourth straight against a team that reached postseason play last year.
