Women's Basketball Faces Tough Road Tilt at Texas Tech
12/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2012
| HOUSTON (5-6) at TEXAS TECH (9-2) | |
|---|---|
| Time | 2 p.m. • Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012 |
| Location | United Spirit Arena (15,098) • Lubbock, Texas |
| Series History | Texas Tech leads, 35-14 |
| Last Time | Texas Tech 88, Houston 58 (Nov. 16, 2011) |
| 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 |
LUBBOCK, Texas - The University of Houston women's basketball team will play its final contest of 2012 against Texas Tech at 2 p.m., on Sunday at United Spirit Arena.
The Cougars (5-6), who will play their first regular season contest in Lubbock since defeating the Lady Raiders 66-63 on Dec. 4, 2007, will face a Texas Tech squad that is currently undefeated (7-0) inside United Spirit Arena.
Houston returned from a two-week layoff to defeat Texas State by a score of 74-61 on Dec. 22, as guards Alecia Smith and Porsche Landry combined for 45 points to lead the Cougars.
Smith, a freshman from Cedar Hill, Texas, erupted for a career-best 24 points and hit several crucial buckets in the second half to answer Bobcat rallies. Smith knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers and has connected on eight of her last 20 attempts (40 percent) after beginning the season 3-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Landry rattled off 21 points in 30 minutes of action against the Bobcats, surpassing the 20-point mark for the second time this season. With a perfect 3-of-3 effort from 3-point range, Landry has now converted 11 of her last 17 attempts from downtown (65 percent) and leads Conference USA in 3-point percentage (44.8).
Junior forward Marissa Ashton, who played her first two seasons at Texas Tech, registered her second double-double of the season in the win over Texas State with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while junior forward Te'onna Campbell also pulled down 11 boards, marking her second-straight game with double-figure rebounds.
The Houston defense also played a vital role in the Cougars' win over Texas State, limiting the Bobcats to just 61 points after entering the contest ranked 15th nationally in scoring offense (77.2 ppg). Houston has limited the opposition to 62 points or fewer in six of the last seven contests.
Fans can follow live scoring by clicking the GameTracker link on the schedule page at UHCougars.com.
Tech's defense has been stifling through the opening 11 contests, limiting the opposition to just 49.3 points per game and a 36-percent shooting effort from the field. Opponents have only averaged 34.1 rebounds per contest while the Lady Raiders are forcing 22.7 turnovers per game, winning the battle by a whopping plus-8.5 margin.
Senior guard Casey Morris leads the Lady Raiders with 12.3 points per game and has drained a team-leading 23 3-pointers at a 35-percent clip. Senior guard Christine Hyde (11.5 ppg) and junior forward Kelsi Baker (10.8 ppg) are also scoring in double figures, while Hyde paces the team on the glass with 6.3 rebounds per contest.
The Cougars have won only four times in 17 games played in Lubbock, and dropped the last contest at United Spirit Arena on March 18, 2010 in the opening round of the WNIT as the Lady Raiders eaked out an 80-77 victory. Current Cougar Marissa Ashton was in her freshman season at Tech and helped lead the Lady Raiders with 11 points.
Houston's last win against Texas Tech came in Lubbock on Dec. 4, 2007, defeating the then-undefeated Lady Raiders by a score of 66-63 and claiming the first win in Lubbock since 1985.
Houston couldn't overcome a slow start, as Tech jumped out to a 15-0 advantage with the Cougars failing to score for the first 5:15 of the contest. The Cougars were able to cut the deficit to 12 points with just over five minutes remaining in the opening half but went into the break trailing 39-16.
Porsche Landry led Houston with 20 second-half points, while fellow senior Roxana Button added 14 points in the loss.
| 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 |
| 11. | Porsche Landry | 1,263 |
Landry tallied 21 points in Houston's 74-61 win over Texas State on Dec. 22 to climb into 11th spot on the all-time career scoring chart and needs just 19 points to move into the top 10. Landry currently ranks third all-time in career assists and needs 50 to tie Arlene Brown (1987-91) for second.
Even though Landry averaged 17.6 points through the opening five contests, the Houston native handed out only 13 assists compared to 25 turnovers, while shooting 39 percent (35-of-89) from the field and missing her first six attempts from 3-point range.
In the six games since, Landry has returned to form, posting 26 assists (4.3 apg) to 23 turnovers, while shooting 52 percent (34-of-66) from the field and a blazing 65 percent (11-of-17) from 3-point range.
Ashton played in 42 total contests as a Lady Raider and has been on both sides of the Houston-Texas Tech rivalry, pouring in 11 points against the Cougars in the opening round of the 2010 WNIT at United Spirit Arena.
The Dickinson, Texas, native has flourished in her first season as a Cougar, already posting career highs in points (107), 3-pointers (16), blocks (9) and steals (8) in only 11 contests. Ashton currently ranks fifth in C-USA in 3-point percentage (40.0).
