University of Houston
3-3
Rice
3-3
Sanders Lifts Cougars Past Rice with Buzzer-Beater
12/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
| Postgame Quotes
HOUSTON - Sophomore Alexia Sanders drained a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give the University of Houston women's basketball team a 59-58 victory over Rice University on Wednesday night at Hofheinz Pavilion. Both teams are now 3-3 overall.
Houston was down two points and had the length of the court to go with :5.5 on the clock. Junior Alecia Smith took the inbounds pass and dribbled down the middle of the court. After crossing the center stripe, she passed to Sanders on the right wing, and Sanders connected on a 22-footer as time expired to seal the victory.
"I was just trying to do whatever I could to help my team win," said Sanders. "(Alecia) had the drive, but she kicked it to me and I just shot it. It went in and the refs said (it was) good."
"We wanted (Alecia) to be able to shovel it out to (Alexia) and her to be able to get a mid-range pull up," Houston head coach Ronald Hughey said of the final play. "Well, the unexpected thing was (Alexia) shooting the three. I'm just super excited that she had enough confidence to take it."
The three-pointer was just the third of the season for Sanders and the fifth of her collegiate career.
POSTGAME HIGHLIGHTS AND PRESS CONFERENCE
THE BASICS
Score: Houston 59, Rice 58
Records: Houston 3-3, Rice 3-3
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Location: Houston, Texas (Hofheinz Pavilion)
TURNING POINT
The Sanders game-winner was the final twist in a game that featured 24 lead changes and nine ties. Rice had taken the lead, 57-54, on a Nakachi Maduka three-pointer with 1:01 remaining, but they missed two free throws in the final :30 that ended up playing a pivotal role in the outcome.
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Tyler Gilbert recorded her first career double-double and set career highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Gilbert was 8-for-13 from the floor and added two blocked shots.
"My main focus was just rebounding," a humble Gilbert said after the win. "That was something I tried to focus on during practice. I knew I needed to stay focused on rebounding and my points would go up."
"When we talk about roles, we talk about Tyler being a double-double player," said Hughey. "We just need her to believe that she can do that every game."
Rice: Shani Rainey led the Owls with 13 points, with Christal Porter adding 12 points and 13 rebounds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Wednesday's game was incredibly tight for a full 40 minutes, as the Cougars and Owls played within an 11-point window. Rice's largest lead was 35-28 with 17:36 left in the game, while the Coogs never led by more than four points after scoring the first two buckets of the game.
- Both teams started incredibly hot, with Houston taking a 12-11 lead at the 15:07 mark of the first half on a Gilbert layup. But the game slowed down quickly, including stretch of 4:51 midway through the half where neither team scored.
- Jessieka Palmer added 14 points for Houston, while the final basket by Sanders gave the sophomore her first 10-point game of the season.
- Sanders was also a defensive ace in addition to her late-game heroics, as she set a career high with five steals.
- Smith and Sanders paced Houston with four assists each.
- Houston shot 42.6% (23-for-54) from the field. The Cougars are 2-0 this season when shooting better than 40%.
- The Cougars set a season high as a team by shooting 80.0% (8-for-10) from the free throw line. They also posted a season-best 45.5% (5-for-11) clip from three-point territory.
- All five of Houston's made three-pointers came in the second half.
NEWS & NOTES
- Palmer has now scored in double-digits in five straight games, while Gilbert has blocked at least one shot in all six games this season.
- Sanders has emerged as a reliable scorer in the past week and is averaging 9.0 ppg in her last three appearances.
- Houston's three victories have come by a combined seven points.
- Houston has won four straight games against Rice, and holds a 51-10 all-time edge over their crosstown rivals.
- The Cougars are now 2-0 against Conference USA teams this season, including a 46-42 win over North Texas on opening night.
- Hughey's club is now 3-1 in 2014-15 against teams from the state of Texas.
- The last one-point win for the Cougars was a 71-70 overtime road victory over Tulane on February 17, 2013.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston plays their final non-conference home game of the season on Sunday, December 7 against Prairie View A&M.
"(Prairie View A&M is) an athletic team, and a team that wants to get up and down the floor," said Hughey. "They attack the basket really well. We just have to make sure that we play our game and take care of business."
Single-game tickets start at just $8 and tipoff at Hofheinz Pavilion is scheduled for 2 pm CT. 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--
