University of Houston
3-5
No. 4/5 Texas A&M
11-0
Cougars Fall to #4/5 Texas A&M
12/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas- The University of Houston women's basketball team showed heart and determination on Saturday afternoon in a 94-55 loss to No. 4/5 Texas A&M at Reed Arena. Houston led the top-5 Aggies midway through the first half and continued to compete with intensity throughout the 40-minute contest.
"The one thing we wanted to do was come out and represent ourselves well," said Houston head coach Ronald Hughey. "We knew we were facing the No. 4 team in the country, and we wanted to give them our best punch. We wanted to run our offense, show heart and fight. I thought the passion, energy and never-quit attitude was there from our kids the entire time."
"There were times with our team where we were on a roller coaster ride in terms of emotions," Hughey added. "But the big thing we wanted to do today was come out and fight, and I think we accomplished that."
THE BASICS
Score: No. 4/5 Texas A&M 94, Houston 55
Records: No. 4/5 Texas A&M 11-0, Houston 3-5
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2014
Location: College Station, Texas (Reed Arena)
TURNING POINT
Marche' Amerson hit a three-pointer with 11:43 left in the first half to give the upset-minded Cougars a 13-12 edge. But the Aggies got a Tori Scott jumper to retake the lead on their next possession, starting a 15-3 run that gave the home team a double-digit advantage.
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Amerson led the way with 10 points, while Jessieka Palmer and Bianca Winslow each scored nine. In her first start of the season, Tyler Gilbert came up with seven points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
Texas A&M: Courtney Walker was 6-for-6 from the floor and scored 19 points to go with five assists.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Houston shot 32.1% (18-for-56) for the game, with matching halves of 9-for-28 outputs. The Aggies finished at 57.8% (37-for-64).
- The Cougars took great care of the ball, with only 15 turnovers. Palmer and Alecia Smith led the team with four assists each.
- Hughey's team had another good day shooting from three-point range, where they were 7-for-18 (38.9%). They also hit 12-of-14 (85.7%) from the free throw line, a season high.
- Smith led the Cougars with two steals.
NEWS & NOTES
- A blocked shot by Gilbert late in the first half extended the junior's block streak to eight consecutive games.
- Winslow's nine-point day was a season high, and Moesha Kinard set a career high with six points. The freshman also grabbed three rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
- DeJah Joshua hit a three-pointer in the final minute of the first half, her first career trifecta.
- Sandra Davis earned her first career start for Houston.
- Houston still holds a 32-23 lead all-time against Texas A&M.
- The loss is the first road setback for Houston this season after they won their first two away contests, over North Texas and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston will play three games in three days at the Athletes in Action Tournament in Lubbock, Texas from December 19-21. The Cougars open the event against UTSA on Friday afternoon at 3 pm CT before facing Nicholls State on Saturday and host Texas Tech on Sunday. The tournament ends 2014-15 non-conference play for the Cougars.
Houston's next home game is also their American Athletic Conference opener, on Saturday, December 27 vs. UCF. Tipoff at Hofheinz Pavilion is scheduled for 2 pm CT for Shasta's Kids Day, with Cougar fans 13 and under receiving a free pom pom with admission.
Single-game tickets start at just $8 for the conference opener. Tickets are available online or by visiting the Athletics Ticket Stadium Office, located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium.
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets for the 2014-15 women's basketball season by clicking here and visiting the official Athletics Ticket Office Page at UHCougars.com. Season tickets start at just $99.
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.
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.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular-season women's basketball home games with a valid student ID.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter. Also, fans can catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's official Facebook page at facebook.com/UHCougarWBB
--UHCougars.com--
