University of Houston
5-6
Texas Tech
9-2
Cougars Show Heart in Loss to Texas Tech
12/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas - A tenacious defensive effort from the University of Houston women's basketball team gave Texas Tech fits on Sunday afternoon, though the Red Raiders ultimately prevailed, 60-54, in the final game of the Athletes in Action Classic. With the loss, Houston ends the non-conference portion of the 2014-15 season with a 5-6 record.
The Cougars led Texas Tech for more than eight minutes in the first half and continued to stay close on the strength of their defensive execution. Houston held the home team to 37.3% (22-for-59) shooting and forced them into 16 turnovers.
Houston head coach Ronald Hughey was proud of the way his team played in the loss. "I love this team; they have stepped up all season long and done everything we asked of them to the best of their abilities, and today was no different," said the first year head coach. "When we talk about chasing greatness, it starts with playing defense, and more often than not we were able to force Texas Tech's offense into their secondary options today, which is what we want."
The contest served as the de facto championship game of the Athletes in Action Classic after both squads entered the day 2-0 in tournament play. With the win, Texas Tech was able to capture the championship trophy with a perfect 3-0 mark.
Following the game, junior Marche' Amerson and freshman Mariah Mitchell were named to the Athletes in Action Classic All-Tournament Team. Amerson scored in double-figures in the first two games of the tournament, and Mitchell set a career-high with 15 points in the Saturday win over Nicholls.
 | THE BASICS |
Score: Texas Tech 60, Houston 54
Records: Texas Tech 9-2, Houston 5-6
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2014
Location: Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
Tournament: Athletes in Action Classic - Game #6
| TURNING POINT |
Houston trailed the entire second half but cut their deficit to 55-51 on an old-fashioned three-point play from Jessieka Palmer with 1:46 left in the game. However, the Red Raiders were able to melt the clock and hold the Cougars scoreless on their next two trips to preserve their two-possession lead and ultimately the victory.
| TOP PERFORMERS |
Houston: Bianca Winslow set a career high and led the Cougars with 12 points, including 2-for-2 three-point shooting. Alexia Sanders added her second double-digit effort of the tournament with 10 points, while Alecia Smith paced Houston with seven rebounds.
Texas Tech: Amber Battle was 3-for-5 from three-point range and scored 19 points to go with 13 rebounds.
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
- Houston moved ahead, 9-7, on a Terran Alford layup with 11:44 left in the first half, and the lead swelled to 17-10 when DeJah Joshua drained a three-pointer at the 8:05 mark. The Cougars held the advantage until there was 2:54 on the first half clock.
- The final stats were as close as the score itself, with Texas Tech shooting 37.3% (22-for-59) and Houston putting up a 37.5% (18-for-48) shooting mark.
- The rebounding battle was also tight, as Texas Tech grabbed 39 boards and Houston snagged 37.
- After making just five field goals in the first half, Houston found their groove offensively in the second period and connected on 13-of-32 (40.6%) field goal attempts.
- The entire Cougar roster took turns contributing on the offensive end. Palmer finished with eight points, Alford scored six and Moesha Kinard came up with five.
- The halftime scoring column was very even for the Cougars, as seven different players tallied in the opening period and no player had more than four points.
- Smith finished with a team-high five assists. All seven of the junior's rebounds came in the first half.
- Sanders finished the day with three steals.
| NEWS & NOTES |
- Houston's incredibly balanced roster continued to shine on Sunday, as Winslow became the sixth different Cougar to pace the team in scoring over the last six games.
- Smith is the sixth different Houston player to lead the team in rebounding.
- Tyler Gilbert extended her blocked shot streak to 11 games with a rejection on Texas Tech's very first offensive possession of the game.
- With two blocks for the game, Gilbert recorded her eighth multi-block game of the season. She led the Athletes in Action Classic with five blocks on the weekend.
- Smith also led the tournament with 13 assists in three games.
- Sanders was Houston's top scorer at the tournament with 8.7 points per game.
- With their 2-1 weekend, Houston ended an in-season tournament with a winning record for the third straight season. The Cougars went 2-0 at the 2012 and 2013 David Jones Memorial Classic tournaments.
| ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM |
Amber Battle, Texas Tech - MVP
Marche' Amerson, Houston
Mariah Mitchell, Houston
Minta Spears, Texas Tech
Kamra King, UTSA
Jenny Nash, Nicholls
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Houston returns to Hofheinz Pavilion for their American Athletic Conference opener on Saturday, December 27 against UCF. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 pm CT, and live video coverage is available on the American Digital Network.
The Cougars will host Shasta's Kids Day in conjunction with the UCF game on December 27 at Hofheinz Pavilion. All kids ages 13 and under will receive a free pom pom, schedule poster and autograph card, and the Cougars will sign autographs on the Hofheinz concourse after the game. Kids Club members will also receive a free drawstring backpack and will form a tunnel to welcome the Cougars back to the court at the start of the second half.
Single-game tickets start at just $8. 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--
