University of Houston
1-1
Incarnate Word
1-1
Cougar Comeback Falls Short in 50-48 Loss
11/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TICKETS | COACH HUGHEY POSTGAME INTERVIEW | BOX SCORE | POSTGAME QUOTES
HOUSTON - A massive rally by the University of Houston women's basketball team fell just short on Monday night as the Cougars were topped by the University of the Incarnate Word, 50-48, at Hofheinz Pavilion. Both teams are 1-1 after the game.
The Cougars trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before mounting a rally to tie the game. But two Incarnate Word free throws with :02 left sealed the deal for the visitors.
"The one positive is that at the end of the game, we showed that when we got down that we can fight and claw our way back out," said Houston head coach Ronald Hughey after the loss.
COACH HUGHEY'S POSTGAME INTERVIEW
THE BASICS
Score: Incarnate Word 50, Houston 48
Records: Houston 1-1, Incarnate Word 1-1
Date: Monday, November 17, 2014
Location: Houston, Texas (Hofheinz Pavilion)
TURNING POINT
Jessieka Palmer scored on a perfectly-executed inbounds play to tie the game at 48-all with :07 left. But the Cardinals beat UH down the floor and Shanise Brooks was fouled on a layup attempt. Brooks hit a pair of free throws with :02 left, and Houston's half court heave at the buzzer was off the mark to end the game.
TOP PERFORMERS
Incarnate Word: Brooks and Yvonne Maosa led UIW with 10 points each, and Jazmine Holman led all players with 10 rebounds.
Houston: Alecia Smith drained four three-pointers and scored 16 points, while Palmer added 12 points and eight boards.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Houston trailed, 38-26, with 15:33 left in the game before battling back to tie it up on Palmer's bucket.
- The Cardinals led at the half, 24-21, and were ahead for all by five seconds of the second period.
- Houston held UIW to just five points and no field goals in the final 7:13 of the game, once again showing an extra defensive gear late in the game.
- Senior Terran Alford had a solid performance in her final home opener, chipping in five points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Both defensive numbers matched career highs.
- Bianca Winslow led Houston with five assists, a career high, and Smith dealt four helpers.
- Freshman DeJah Joshua scored her first collegiate points in the game, a first half jumper.
- UIW shot 36.4% from the field, while Houston shot 29.5%.
- The Cardinals were 16-for-27 (59.3%) from the free throw line, and Houston finished 7-for-16 (43.8%).
NEWS & NOTES
- Monday's game was the first meeting between Houston and Incarnate Word.
- Houston is 1-1 after two games for the first time since 2007-08.
- The Monday evening tilt was Houston's 2014-15 home opener.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston hits the road on Friday, November 21 to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tip time is scheduled for 7 pm CT, and live audio is available at UHCougars.com.
The next home game for Hughey's club is Wednesday, December 3, when Houston hosts Rice University at 7 pm.
STAY CONNECTED
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Under Hughey's leadership, the Cougars will play 11 contests against teams who qualified for NCAA postseason play a year ago with eight of those against American Athletic Conference rivals.
To purchase tickets in person, fans can visit the Athletics Ticket Stadium Office located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium, just outside of Gate 1 off Cullen Boulevard. Parking is available in the TDECU Stadium parking garage with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular season Women's Basketball home games with a valid student ID.
