University of Houston Athletics
Women's Basketball Set for Showdown at SMU
1/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2012
| Houston (2-12 • 1-1) at SMU (7-8 • 0-2) | |
|---|---|
| Time | 7 p.m. • Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 |
| Location | Moody Coliseum (8,998) • Dallas, Texas |
| Series History | Houston leads, 29-16 |
| Last Time | Houston 72, SMU 67 (1/30/11) |
| Radio | Listen Live Houston Sports Network online broadcast powered by Stretch Internet Jeremy Branham, (play-by-play), Rusty Laverentz (Color) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  Conference USA Notebook |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
DALLAS, Texas - The University of Houston women's basketball team looks to build on its recent momentum with a road tilt at SMU at 7:00 p.m., Thursday night at Moody Coliseum. Thursday's contest represents the fourth road tilt for the Cougars in the past five games.
Three Cougars scored in double figures as Houston claimed a 56-49 victory at Southern Miss on Sunday to improve to 1-1 in Conference USA action.
Senior guard Roxana Button scored 17 first-half points as the Cougars held a 28-21 lead at the half, and several players stepped up in the final 20 minutes to preserve the victory.
Amanda Lawson scored in double figures for the second time this season with 10 points while Jennifer Nwokedi (11) and Mae Woods (9) combined for 20 points and 12 rebounds to give Houston the post presence its been looking for this season.
Button continues to lead the league and ranks 25th nationally in scoring with 19.4 points per game. The Coppell, Texas, native has scored 20 or more points in a league-leading eight games after entering her senior season with just one 20-point performance.
ABOUT SMU
SMU enters Thursday's contest on a three-game losing skid, including C-USA losses to UTEP and Rice, to fall to 7-8 overall and 0-2 in league play.
The Mustangs are averaging 60.3 points per game and are a balanced scoring team with four players averaging 8.6 points or higher. SMU has held the opposition to just 60.8 points per contest and is forcing over 20 turnovers per game.
Junior guard Alisha Filmore leads the squad with 9.9 points per game and is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range, while post players Christine Elliott and Akil Simpson have combined for 17.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per contest.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston and SMU renew a rivalry that has spanned over two conferences and dates back to 1981, as the Cougars hold a 29-16 advantage in the series. The Cougars have enjoyed success at SMU's Moody Coliseum, winning 19 of 26 games.
Houston dominated the early part of the rivalry, winning the first 20 games before current SMU head coach Rhonda Rompola took over in 1991. Houston held a 24-9 advantage in Southwest Conference games and is 5-7 against the Mustangs in C-USA action.
The Cougars swept the Mustangs last season in two wild finishes. In the first meeting, Houston held a 15-point lead at the half was able to escape Dallas with a four-point victory. The Cougars pulled off one of the most memorable finishes in school history in the second meeting against SMU at Hofheinz Pavilion, overcoming a six-point deficit with only 27 seconds remaining to win the game by five points.
BUTTON CLOSING IN ON 1,000-POINT CLUB
Entering the 2011-12 season, few would have thought that senior guard Roxana Button would get the opportunity to become the school's 22nd member of the 1,000-point club, but with the loss of six seniors from a year ago and a rash of injuries, Button has been depended on to create offense and has lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 19.4 points per game through the opening 14 contests.
Button entered the season with 653 points at an average of 7.0 points per game, and has already tallied 272 points for a career total of 925. Button has scored in double figures in all 14 games this season, surpassing her previous career high of four-straight double-digit performances.
The Coppell, Texas, native joined the school's 30-point club against Yale on Nov. 25, and matched her career high with 30 points at UTSA on Dec. 4. Button leads the league in scoring (19.4 ppg), 30-point performances (2) and 20-point performances (8) after entering the season having scored 20 or more points only once in her career.
