Cougars Set for San Juan Shootout
11/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON GAME NOTES
HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team embarks on one of the highlights of the 2014-15 non-conference schedule this week, when they take part in the San Juan Shootout in Guaynabo, P.R. The Cougars will face Idaho State on Friday, November 28 and No. 23 James Madison on Saturday, November 29. Both games will start at 4 pm CT.
A live audio broadcast of both games is available at Houston's Stretch Internet Portal. Live Twitter updates can be accessed throughout the tournament by following the official UH women's basketball account, @UHCougarWBB.
The Cougars enter the tournament 2-1 overall.
| HOUSTON (2-1 • 0-0 American) vs. IDAHO STATE (1-2 • 0-0 Big Sky) vs. RV/23 JAMES MADISON (4-0 • 0-0 CAA) | |
|---|---|
| Home Tickets | BUY Tickets • Tickets Info |
| Questions? | Fan Guide |
| Time | 7 pm CT |
| Location | Mario Morales Coliseum • Guaynabo, P.R. |
| Video | none |
| Radio | UHCougars.com Gerald Sanchez, PxP |
| Live Stats | none (Updates at @UHCougarWBB) |
| Series History | • vs. Idaho State - First Meeting • vs. JMU - Houston leads, 1-0 |
| Game Notes | • Houston Notes • Idaho State Notes • JMU Notes • The American Notes |
| Social Media |   |
LAST TIME OUT - HOUSTON 68, A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI 66 | Final Stats Houston made multiple comebacks to overcome Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their last outing, 68-66, on November 21. The victory moved Ronald Hughey's club to 2-0 on the road this season.
Jessieka Palmer guided the Cougars down the stretch, scoring 12 of the team's final 17 points and setting a new career high with 20 points, Marche' Amerson added 14 points, while Alecia Smith chipped in 10 points and a career-best six assists.
The offensive performance was the best of the season for the Cougars, who set a season high for points (68) and field goal percentage (45.0%). Houston committed just nine turnovers and dealt 16 assists.
PALMER NAMED TO AMERICAN HONOR ROLL Junior Jessieka Palmer was named to the American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Honor Roll on November 24. Palmer is Houston's first ever individual award winner from The American.
Palmer was Houston's top performer for the week, averaging 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.6% from the field.
On Nov. 17 against Incarnate Word, the La Marque, Texas native scored 12 points, and she grabbed eight rebounds. The junior had a career night on Nov. 21 in a 68-66 road win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with a personal-high 20 points.
SMITH LEADS HOUSTON'S OFFENSIVE CHARGE
Junior Alecia Smith has established herself as Houston's top offensive option through the two weeks of the season. After three games, the junior leads UH with 12.0 points per game.
Smith is the lone Cougar to score in double-digits in all three of Houston's regular season games. Her 2.7 made three-pointers per game rank 6th-best in The American through November 23, and she also ranks in the league's top-10 in assists and steals.
SERIES HISTORY vs. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
Houston has never before faced Idaho State.
Houston won the lone meeting between the teams, 74-65, on January 2, 1988 at the Fun 'N' Sun Classic in Miami. Down 30-20 with 3:24 left in the opening half, the Coogs ended the period on an 11-2 run and were down just a point at the break.
Houston took the lead for good on a Sally Routt layup with 13:12 left in the game, and they moved to 9-0 with the victory.
Carla Fountain led the Cougars with 28 points in the victory, and Routt chipped in 13.
SCOUTING THE BENGALS
Idaho State is 1-2 on the season after earning an 88-69 victory over Northwest Nazarene on November 24 in their last pre-Thanksgiving game. Megan Hochstein led the Bengals with 20 in the victory. | Final Stats
In their first two games of the season, Idaho State fell to Washington State, 84-34, on November 16 and Gonzaga, 88-63, on November 18.
The Bengals are coming off of a 14-17 (11-9 Big Sky Conference) season in 2013-14.
Idaho State will face San Diego State on Thursday before tangling with the Cougars.
SCOUTING THE DUKES
James Madison has accumulated one of the nation's most impressive resumes through the season's first two weeks, going 4-0 with victories over No. 23 UCLA, St. Bonaventure, American University and Pitt. The Dukes are listed as No. 23 in the WBCA Top-25 Poll, released late Tuesday afternoon, and they are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top-25.
Precious Hall led James Madison with 34 points in their 80-64 victory over Pitt on November 22. Through four games, Hall paces JMU with 23.5 points per game. | Final Stats
JMU was 29-6 last season, winning both the regular season and tournament titles in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes beat Gonzaga, 72-63, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Texas A&M in the Round of 32, 85-69.
James Madison will square off with No. 10 Maryland on Friday before their Saturday meeting with the Cougars.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston is back at Hofheinz on Wednesday, December 3, when they welcome crosstown rival Rice to Hofheinz Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7 pm CT and single-game tickets start at just $8 | TICKETS
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive daily information and in-game updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter. Fans can also catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at facebook.com/UHCougarWBB
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Fans can take the first step toward the 2014-15 Houston Women's Basketball season by placing deposits with the Athletics Ticket Office at UHCougars.com or by clicking here . The deposit is not a fee and will go toward the cost of 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.
