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University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
-213, 12 CUSA
SMU
-88, 12 CUSA
Houston Rally Falls Short at SMU, 76-61
1/12/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| SMU 76, HOUSTON 61 |
|---|
 |
Box Score (pdf)  | Final Stats (html) | Season Stats |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| Houston (2-13, 1-2 C-USA) | 32 | 29 | 61 |
| SMU (8-8, 1-2 C-USA) | 42 | 34 | 76 |
| Quick Stats | UH | SMU |
| Points | 61 | 76 |
| Rebounds | 36 | 44 |
| Assists | 8 | 20 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 18 |
| Field Goals | 23-63 | 26-60 |
| Free Throws | 13-19 | 16-22 |
| 3-Point Field Goals | 2-6 | 8-18 |
| Fouls | 16 | 17 |
| Statistical Leaders | |||
| Houston | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Roxana Button | 21 | 4 | 3 |
| Amanda Lawson | 15 | 4 | 3 steals |
| Michelle White | 10 | 5 | 4 |
| SMU | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Alisha Filmore | 26 | 4 | 3 |
| Akil Simpson | 16 | 15 | 4 |
| Heidi Brandenburg | 9 | 4 | 0 |
DALLAS, Texas - The University of Houston women's basketball team whittled a 15-point second half deficit to five points before a late drought ended the rally, falling to SMU by a score of 76-61 on Thursday night at Moody Coliseum.
Trailing by 15 points three minutes into the second half, the Cougars opened a 12-2 run capped off by a fast-break layup from freshman forward Amanda Lawson to cut the deficit to 53-48 with 12:08 left to play.
Houston stayed within striking distance for the next five minutes before SMU's Samantha Mahnesmith drained a 3-pointer and Sabrina McKinney followed with a layup to push the Mustang advantage back to double digits at 65-54 with just 6:31 remaining.
The Cougars weren't finished, however, as senior guard Roxana Button sunk an impossible shot from the baseline and converted the impending free-throw and followed with two more shots from the charity stripe to cut the deficit back to six points with 5:18 left to play.
The defense would hold SMU without any points for over four minutes but the Cougars couldn't get a shot to fall, keeping the deficit at six points until Ravon Short connected on a 3-pointer with 2:15 remaining to put the contest out of reach.
The Cougars went without points for over five minutes until Danielle Parks hit a bucket with only 15 seconds remaining.
Houston also suffered from a late drought to end the first half, failing to score for the final 4:20 to trail by 10 points at the break.
The Cougars withstood an early 3-point barrage from Alisha Filmore, who connected on her first three shots from beyond the arc as SMU took a 14-6 lead.
Senior guard Michelle White brought Houston back, knocking down three-straight midrange jumpers followed by a Lawson fast-break layup to bring the Cougars within one point.
SMU would open the lead back to seven points before Houston stormed back on a 10-2 run as junior forward Jennifer Nwokedi gave the Cougars their only lead of the game with a jumper for the 27-26 advantage with 7:45 remaining.
Button led Houston in her return to her hometown with 21 points despite being smothered by SMU's defense for 40 minutes. The Coppell, Texas, native posted four rebounds, three assists and two steals and was 10-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Lawson scored in double figures for the second-straight game with 15 points to go with four rebounds and three steals in 38 minutes of action. Lawson was 6-of-14 from the field and connected on a huge 3-pointer to help fuel Houston's early 10-2 run.
White played 40 minutes for the first time in her career, posting 10 points, five rebounds and a team-high four assists. White was 5-of-15 from the field and was solid handling the ball against SMU's full-court pressure.
Parks tallied seven points and a team-high six rebounds while sophomore center Mae Woods added four points and four boards.
The Cougars shot 41 percent in the first half but cooled off in the final 20 minutes for a 37-percent clip (23-of-63) for the game. SMU came out firing with a 50-percent performance from the field in the first half, including six made 3-pointers, before shooting 43 percent overall (26-of-60) for the contest.
SMU won the rebound battle by a 44-36 margin, despite Houston out-rebounding the Mustangs, 24-19, in the final 20 minutes.
Filmore led SMU with 26 points while Akil Simpson posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 boards.
UP NEXT
The Cougars return home to take on UAB at 2 p.m., Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion. The Blazers come to Houston with a 12-3 overall record and an undefeated 3-0 mark in Conference USA action.
Fans can purchase their tickets for as low as $8 for adults and $5 for youth by calling 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or by visiting UHCougars.com and clicking the Tickets tab and following the appropriate links.
