University of Houston
5-7, 0-1
Tulane
10-2, 1-0
Cougars Drop Tuesday Contest at Tulane
12/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Junior forward Tyler Gilbert was a force on the interior on Tuesday night, though the University of Houston women's basketball team was tripped up by Tulane University, 70-40, in American Athletic Conference play.
Gilbert was Houston's top performer, with seven points and 10 rebounds. Four of the junior's boards came on the offensive end.
"We played a very good team in their building tonight, and we got off to a slow start, which cost us," said Houston head coach Ronald Hughey. "That said, the effort was there throughout the game, and we made some improvements in the second half that will benefit us going forward."
Houston is now 5-8 (0-2 American) on the season. Tulane, who is receiving votes in this week's WBCA top-25 poll, improves to 11-2 (2-0 American) with the win.
 | THE BASICS |
Score: Tulane 70, Houston 40
Records: Houston 5-8 (0-2 American), Tulane 11-2 (2-0 American)
Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Location: New Orleans, La. (Devlin Fieldhouse)
| TURNING POINT |
Houston played the home team within a possession through two media timeouts, but the Green Wave used full-court pressure to mount a 13-2 run and take a double-digit lead midway through the first half. Courtnie Latham hit a jumper at the 9:38 mark to cap the run and give the Green Wave a 23-11 edge. The difference stayed in double-digits for the remainder of the game.
| TOP PERFORMERS |
Houston: Marche' Amerson was the top Cougar scorer, with nine points, while Gilbert finished one rebound shy of her career high. Alecia Smith dished four assists to lead the club.
Tulane: Danielle Blagg led all scorers with 14 points, and Adesuwa Ebomwonyi tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
- For the game, Tulane shot 42.6% (26-for-61), and Houston finished at 23.5% (12-for-51).
- The Green Wave had the edge on the glass, with 47 rebounds to Houston's 36.
- Tulane shot 50.0% (16-for-32) in the first half to take a 40-21 lead into the break.
- Terran Alford finished with seven points and five rebounds in a second straight quality effort off the bench.
- Mariah Mitchell earned her second straight start and scored eight points, including a pair of three-point field goals.
- Amerson matched a career high with four steals.
- Alford led Houston with six points at halftime. Amerson and Gilbert tallied five each in the first half.
| NEWS & NOTES |
- Gilbert's double-digit rebounding effort is Houston's second of the season. She grabbed a career-high 11 against Rice on December 3.
- The junior is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game in her last two appearances and leads the Cougars with a 5.4 rebound average overall.
- Amerson has recorded seven steals in her last two games. The junior's previous four-steal effort came on February 15, 2014 against SMU.
- Gilbert tallied a block at the 11:24 mark of the second half and has now swatted at least one shot in 12 of Houston's 13 games.
- Smith has led Houston in assists in nine straight contests.
- Tulane now holds a 22-13 edge in the all-time series between the teams.
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
The Cougars end their American Athletic Conference road swing when they face SMU on Saturday, January 3. Tipoff in Dallas is scheduled for 2 pm CT. Fans can watch the game live on the American Digital Network.
Houston returns home on Wednesday, January 7 to host Cincinnati. The American battle starts at 7 pm CT inside of Hofheinz Pavilion, and tickets are available for 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 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.
--UHCougars.com--
