Women's Basketball to Meet McNeese State on Tuesday
11/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2012
| HOUSTON (0-3) at McNEESE STATE (1-1) | |
|---|---|
| Time | 7 p.m. • Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012 |
| Location | Burton Coliseum (8,000) • Lake Charles, La. |
| Series History | Houston leads, 7-4 |
| Last Time | McNeese State 72, Houston 59 (11/26/11) |
| Radio | Listen Live Houston Sports Network online broadcast powered by Stretch Internet Greg O'Konski, (play-by-play), Rusty Laverentz (Color) |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes  |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
LAKE CHARLES, La. - The University of Houston Women's Basketball team will take to the road for the third time in four games on Tuesday when it meets McNeese State at 7 p.m., at Burton Coliseum.
The Cougars dropped a heartbreaker in their last action against Yale, falling by a score of 84-82 after overcoming a nine-point second-half deficit with under seven minutes remaining.
Senior point guard Porsche Landry led the Cougars with 30 points in 32 minutes of action, marking the third time the Houston native has hit the 30-point threshold in her career. Landry currently leads the team with 19.7 points per game, which ranks second in Conference USA.
Freshman Jessieka Palmer and junior Marissa Ashton are also scoring in double figures with 12.0 and 10.3 points, respectively, while junior forward Yasmeen Thompson leads C-USA with 13.3 rebounds per game and also ranks second in the league with 2.0 blocks per contest.
Junior forward Te'onna Campbell, who flirted with a triple-double on Saturday with career highs of 15 points, nine rebounds and seven steals, also ranks among the league leaders in several statistical categories, including second in steals with 4.7 per game.
As a team, the Cougars rank second in C-USA in scoring offense with 74.0 points per contest, while leading the league in rebounding (49.0 rpg), offensive rebounds (23.0 rpg) and blocked shots (7.0 bpg).
McNeese State enters Tuesday's contest with a 1-1 record, falling to Vanderbilt (81-72) on the road before defeating Texas Southern (59-42) on Saturday. The Cowgirls return two starters and six letterwinners from last season's squad that went 26-8 and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cowgirls are led by the Baggett sisters, as Caitlyn is averaging 20.5 points and 4.0 assists and shooting 52 percent from the field, while Ashlyn has added 11.5 points per contest. Caitlyn and Ashlyn, who are seniors, also welcome sister Allison to the squad this season, who has averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
McNeese State has averaged 65.0 points in the opening two contests, while limiting its opponents to an average of 62.0 points. The opposition is shooting at a 44-percent clip, while the Cowgirls have averaged 6.0 3-pointers per game. McNeese State is also winning the rebound battle by a 37.5-35.0 margin and forcing 20.0 turnovers per contest.
Houston and McNeese State will meet for the 12th time in the series that dates back to the 1977-78 season, as the Cougars hold a 7-4 advantage.
The two teams met last season at Houston's David Jones Classic, as McNeese State pulled out a 72-59 victory over the short-handed Cougars, who were playing with only eight players after a rash of injuries. Last year's meeting snapped a two-game winning streak for the Cougars dating back to the 2000-01 season.
Houston will look for its first-ever victory at McNeese State, as the Cougars are 0-3 all-time in Lake Charles. The Cougars last played at McNeese State on Nov. 27, 1999, falling by one point.
| HOUSTON 1,000-POINT CLUB | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chandi Jones | 2,692 |
| 2. | Sharion Higgins | 1,957 |
| 3. | Sonya Watkins | 1,752 |
| 4. | Courtney Taylor | 1,684 |
| 5. | Vickey Finch | 1,670 |
| 6. | Kip Anderson | 1,588 |
| 7. | Brittney Scott | 1,522 |
| 8. | Jennifer Jones | 1,498 |
| 9. | Pat Luckey | 1,391 |
| 10. | Darla Simpson | 1,282 |
| 16. | Porsche Landry | 1,140 |
Houston dropped a 72-59 decision to McNeese State on Nov. 26, 2011 at the David Jones Classic at Hofheinz Pavilion.
The Cougars, who were playing with only eight players, fell behind 12-0 early on, but fought back to cut the halftime deficit to six points.
Houston opened the second half with a layup to trim the Cowgirl lead to four points, but wouldn't get any closer.
Senior Roxana Button led the Cougars with 20 points, while freshman Danielle Parks added 16 points off a 3-of-5 effort from 3-point range.
Following Tuesday's road tilt at McNeese State, the Cougars return home to host the second-annual David Jones Classic on Friday and Saturday.
The Cougars will face Southeast Missouri State on Friday at 5:30 p.m., and follow with Northwestern State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Fans with a football ticket to Houston's contest against Tulane at 2:30 p.m., will be able to gain free admission to women's basketball's matchup with Northwestern State. Parking will be available in the main parking garage on Holman Street for $10.
To purchase tickets, fans can call 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) or 877-COUGAR-5 (268-4275) or visit the Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Athletics/Alumni Center from 8 a.m., to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by online at UHCougars.com.
Fans can buy tickets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by clicking the red and white Tickets tab at UHCougars.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
| HOUSTON 300-ASSIST CLUB | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Betty Darthard | 482 |
| 2. | Arlene Brown | 434 |
| 3. | Kip Anderson | 361 |
| 4. | Porsche Landry | 353 |
| 5. | Tye Jackson | 350 |
Senior point guard Porsche Landry belongs in an elite group in Houston women's basketball history as one of only four Cougars all-time with 1,000 points (1,140) and 300 assists (353).
Landry posted a game-high 20 points against Tulane on March 11, 2011 at the C-USA Tournament to reach the 1,000-point mark and could end her career securely in the top 10, while also having a chance to wind up in the top two on the career assists chart.
Landry rattled off 30 points at Yale on Saturday to surpass Arlene Brown (1987-91) and Barbara Anderson (1984-88) for 16th spot all-time in career scoring with 1,140 points. The Houston native also ranks in fourth spot in career assists with 353, and needs only eight more to tie Kip Anderson (1978-81) for third.
