University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Ring in New Season vs. Mississippi State
11/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 7, 2013
HOUSTON-- The University of Houston women's basketball team rings in the 2013-14 season vs. Mississippi State, Friday at 5:30 p.m. inside Hofheinz Pavilion.
Watch it Live
There will be a live video feed available for Houston's game vs. Mississippi State through Cougar All-Access. To access video for the game visit www.UHCougars.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "video" link to watch through Cougar All-Access.
Listen Live
There will be live audio streaming available for Houston's game vs. Mississippi State. To access audio for the game visit www.UHCougars.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "audio" link to listen for free through stretch internet.
Live Stats
There will be live stats available for Houston's game vs. Mississippi State. To access live stats for the game visit www.UHCougars.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "GameTracker" link.
Follow the Cougars!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougarSports), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the women's basketball team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonCougarWomensBasketball) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarWBB).
Women's Basketball Ticket Information
Season tickets for the 2013-14 season are now on sale in the Athletics Ticket Office, starting as low as $100 for general admission seating. Season tickets for floor seating are available for only $250.
Fans can also purchase flex tickets, using all 15 tickets for one home game, one ticket for all 15 contests or any combination in between.
How to Order
To purchase season 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 online at UHCougars.com and following the appropriate links.
To secure parking spaces and to support student-athlete scholarships through Cougar Pride for the upcoming season, fans should contact Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH or email cougarpride@uh.edu. Fans also can visit UHCougars.com and click the Cougar Pride tab for more information.
Fans are encouraged to purchase their season tickets early for the best seats in the
house.
A Look at the Series...
Houston (0-0) vs. Mississippi State (0-0)
Overall Record 0-2
Home Record 0-1
Away Record 0-1
Neutral Site Record 0-0
Longest Win Streak N/A
Longest Losing Streak 2 games
Record in Last 10 Meetings N/A
Last Meeting Nov. 9, 2012 in Hofheinz Pavilion (L, 72-66)
First Meeting Nov. 27, 2002 at No. 19 Mississippi State (L, 76-57)
Series Notes: Last time these two schools met was almost a year ago to the date, as Houston went into Starkville and gave Mississippi State all it could handle, whittling down what was a nine-point second half deficit to actually take a lead late in the game, but it wasn't enough as Houston fell 72-66. Marissa Ashton put up 12 points and collected six rebounds, while Jessieka Palmer chipped in 10 points in the loss...the game marked Houston's first ever trip to Starkville...Houston's largest margin of defeat vs. the Bulldogs all-time was a 76-57 loss (19 points) at No. 19 Mississippi State on Nov. 27, 2002 ...the Cougars are looking for their first-ever win over the Bulldogs this Friday.
About Mississippi State
The Bulldogs enter the new campaign looking to improve upon a 2012 season that saw Mississippi State go 13-17 overall and claim a 5-11 conference rank to finish 12th in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs return four starters from last year's squad, including the team's top three scorers from a year ago in juniors Martha Alwal (12.1 ppg), Kendra Grant (11.8 ppg), and Camecia Williams (8.3 ppg). Alwal also led the team in rebound in 2012; grabbing 9.7 boards per contest...Mississippi State was tabbed 11th in the preseason SEC media poll.
Last Time Out For the Cougars
Yasmeen Thompson recorded a double-double, as she went off for a game-high 24 points and a team-best 10 rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting, but it wasn't enough, as Houston fell to Lubbock Christian by the final of 80-73, in an exhibition affair last Saturday afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Sophomore forward Marche' Amerson scored 16 points and collected two rebounds, while sophomore guard Jessieka Palmer put in 11 points for the Cougars in the loss.
Guards Kelsey Hoppel and Nicole Hampton led the way for Lubbock Christian, as the two combined to score 41 of the team's 80 points, as Hampton went for 20 points and 15 rebounds, knocking down 3-of-4 three pointers.
Hoppel recorded a team-high 21 points, while forward Emily Pool chipped in 14 points and pulled down six rebounds in the win.
It was a closely contested game throughout, as neither team ever led by more than 10 points.
The Cougars got things going early offensively, as they jumped out to a quick 10-3 advantage within the first three minutes of the game.
Amerson quickly showed why she was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team a year ago, as she put in seven of Houston's first 14 points, helping the Cougars sustain the early lead.
However, Lubbock Christian kept things close in the first half, shooting 13-of-32 for 40 percent from the field, including knocking down 8-of-11 free throws for 73 percent.
Houston's lead ballooned to as high as 10 points late in the first half, but the Lady Chaps caught fire from the field, outscoring the Cougars 13-3 over the final 1:47 to lock things up at 40-40 at halftime.
Lubbock Christian continued to find its offense in the second half, as it sustained a 13-6 run over the first five-plus minutes of the period to claim a 46-53 advantage with 12:36 remaining.
The Lady Chaps would eventually claim a lead as large as eight with 6:08 left to play, thanks to a three-point shooting surge, where they managed to knock down three treys within a four-minute span.
However, the Cougars wouldn't go away, as sophomore guard Alecia Smith was able to cut the deficit down to 69-68 with three minutes left to play after two made free throws.
Houston shot a scorching 19-of-21 (91 percent) from the charity stripe to keep the Cougars in the game, but in the end there just wasn't enough offense, as they connected on just 24-of-82 field goal attempts for 29 percent.
Cougars Tabbed 10th in American Media Poll
The University of Houston women's basketball team was picked to finish 10th in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference according to a vote of league coaches released by the conference office on Oct. 14.
The Cougars received 15 votes to finish just behind Temple, who was picked ninth with 25 points. Defending National Champion UConn was chosen as the unanimous favorite to win the league crown, as it received 81 overall points and nine of 10 first place votes.
Louisville, the 2013 national runner-up, was chosen to finish second, as it collected 73 points overall and received the lone remaining first place vote.
USF followed with 59 points, as it just edged out Rutgers for third place, who received a healthy 57 points.
In-state rival SMU was picked to finish fifth (50 points), while Memphis (32 points), Cincinnati (30 points), and UCF followed (28 points), earning the sixth, seventh, and eighth spots respectively.
Breaking Down the 2013-14 Cougars
Fourth-year head coach Todd Buchanan and the Cougars return four starters and nine letterwinners overall from last season's squad that finished 13-17 overall and ninth in the final year of Conference USA with a 7-9 record.
The 2013-14 campaign truly marks a new era of Houston basketball, as the Cougars prepare for their first year in the new American Athletic Conference, in what arguably will be the toughest in all of college basketball.
While the Cougars will have deal with the loss of the program's all-time assists leader and the leading scorer from a year ago in Porsche Landry, Houston brings back 74 percent of last season's scoring total, including Conference USA All-Freshman team member Marche' Amerson.
Amerson ranked second on the team a year ago in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per contest and set a UH freshman record as she started in all 30 contests for the Cougars.
Senior center Yasmeen Thompson also returns for her senior year after establishing herself as formidable option down low last season, as she led Conference USA and ranked 10th all-time in program history in field goal percentage (.533), while chipping in 8.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Tourney Tested
The Cougars will face a schedule loaded with postseason participants from 2012-13, as they will play five NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Texas A&M, Creighton, Prairie View A&M, USF twice, UConn twice, and Louisville twice), as well as three WNIT teams from 2012-13 in Washington, Memphis (twice), and SMU (twice) for a total of 14 matchups against eight teams that saw some kind of postseason action last season.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Houston boasts one of the more rigorous schedules in the nation, as the Cougars will go up against eight teams that are either ranked or have received votes in either the Associated Press or the USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches Polls. Three of those games come in the non-conference slate, as the Cougars host No. 16/ 13 Texas A&M (AP poll first), play at RV/ RV Creighton, and host RV/ NR Washington.
The other five ranked matchups come in American Conference play as Houston will take on RV/ RV USF, NR/ RV Rutgers, No. 1/ No. 1 UConn, No. 5/ No. 5 Louisville, and NR/ RV SMU for a total of 10 meetings, as the Cougars will play each school at home and away. If all eight teams were able to find their way into the top 25, the 13 ranked contests in a season would be the most in school history. The most ranked opponents the Cougars have ever played in a single season are nine during the 1978-79 campaign.
By the Numbers
Houston returns 74 percent of its 1,903 points scored, 87 percent of its rebounds, 74 percent of its field goals made, 78 percent of its three-pointers made, 78 percent of its free throws converted, 57 percent of its assists, and 77 percent of its steals from a season ago.
New Kids on the Block
The Cougars welcome in just two new faces to this year's squad in freshman guard Alexia Sanders and junior college transfer guard Demetria Foreman. Sanders comes to Houston from nearby College Park High School in The Woodlands, where she earned District 14-5A MVP honors her senior season after leading the team in scoring (20.1 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg), steals (4.1 spg), assists (2.7 apg), and blocks (1.0 bpg).
Foreman joins the Cougars after playing two seasons at Angelina Junior College, where she averaged 12.8 points and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting 40 percent from the field last season. She was also named to the all-conference team and earned NJCAA All-Tournament team honors.
You Can't Teach Tall
This year's Cougar squad is one of the tallest in recent memory, as the team averages nearly six feet with nine players standing at 6-0 or taller. The Cougars ranked third in Conference USA in rebounding and blocked shots a year ago, averaging 41.6 boards and 3.6 swats per game.
Homegrown Talent
Ten of the 14 players on the roster call Texas home, while one is from Oklahoma, one is from California, one is from Pennsylvania, and one comes from British Columbia.
Proud to be an American
The Cougars are one of four teams (SMU, Memphis, and UCF) to make the jump from the old Conference USA to the new American Athletic Conference. The Cougars also join five other schools from what was the old BIG EAST conference (UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers, and South Florida), and one school out of the old Atlantic-10 in Temple to make up the new league. The AAC is Houston's third conference in what will be the program's 39th season.
For Openers
Houston is 28-10 all-time in season openers and 16-4 all-time when beginning the season at home…the Cougars have won four of their last six season openers overall and have won six of their last eight home openers.
More of Marche'
Marche' Amerson earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2012 after ranking second on the squad averaging 10.1 points per game in league play, while shooting a team best 36-percent from beyond the arc in conference action. Amerson also set a freshman record starting in all 30 games last season, while finishing in the top 10 in six other Houston all-time freshman marks. Houston hopes to count on her to be one of the team's leaders on and off the court this season.
Getting 'Meen
Senior Yasmeen Thompson wreaked havoc in the paint for the Cougars in 2012 after transferring from Paris Junior College, as she led C-USA in field-goal percentage (53.3) while ranking sixth in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and placing second in the league with 1.4 blocks per game in conference play a year ago. Thompson led the nation in field-goal percentage through the opening seven contests of the season.
The Philadelphia, Pa., native, who earned C-USA Player of the Week honors on Nov. 26, pulled down a career-best 17 boards in back-to-back games against Alabama and Yale, and followed up with her first-career double-double performance with 21 points and 14 rebounds at McNeese State on Nov. 20, marking 48 rebounds over a span of three games.
Thompson earned NJCAA All-Conference Honorable Mention honors last season at Paris JC after averaging 8.1 points and a team-leading 9.0 rebounds per game. Thompson helped the squad to a 24-7 record while reaching a national ranking of No. 11, setting a school record.
What Can Campbell Do For You?
The answer to that question is: A lot. Senior forward Te'onna Campbell filled the stat sheet in her first season as a Cougar, ranking amongst the leaders in Conference USA in several different categories, ranking eighth in rebounds (8.2 rpg), ninth in offensive rebounds (3.0 rpg), eighth in defensive rebounds (5.2 rpg), and fifth in steals (2.5 spg).
Campbell came to Houston after spending two seasons at New Mexico Junior College, and showed everyone what she could do in her first game at Mississippi State, posting eight points, eight rebounds, five steals, three assists and three blocks.
The Ontario, Calif., native tallied a career-high 17 points and made the game-winning putback with 5.4 seconds remaining in Houston's double-overtime victory at Tulane on Feb. 17. Campbell was the top defender for the Cougars in 2012 and was been matched up with the opposing team's top threat all season.
Hear it From Them
Be sure to visit www.UHCougars.com and click on the women's basketball page to watch the 2013-14 women's basketball season preview video featuring head coach Todd Buchanan, sophomore forward Marche' Amerson, and senior center Yasmeen Thompson.
