University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Host USF on Wednesday Evening
1/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| HOUSTON (6-11, 1-5 AMERICAN) vs. USF (14-4, 5-1 AMERICAN) | |
|---|---|
| Tickets | BUY Tickets • Tickets Info |
| Questions? | Fan Guide |
| Date/Time | Wednesday • 7 pm CT |
| Location | Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) • Houston, Texas |
| Live Video | American Digital Network |
| Live Audio | UHCougars.com Jeremy Branham, PxP |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | USF leads, 9-6 |
| Game Notes | • Houston Notes • USF Notes • The American Notes |
| Social Media |   |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team returns to Hofheinz Pavilion on Wednesday night to host American Athletic Conference opponent USF. Tip time is scheduled for 7 pm CT, and single-game tickets are available for just $8. | TICKETS
Fans who are unable to be at Hofheinz on Wednesday night can watch the game live on the American Digital Network. Also, a free live audio broadcast is available through Houston's Stretch Internet Portal, with Jeremy Branham on the play-by-play call. Live Twitter updates can be accessed throughout the game by following the official UH women's basketball account, @UHCougarWBB.
Houston is 6-11 (1-5 American) after falling to Tulsa, 74-52, on Jan. 17. Tyler Gilbert paced the Cougars with 16 points and a career-best 13 rebounds against the Golden Hurricane.
USF (14-4, 5-1 American) had an eight-game winning streak snapped with a 92-50 loss to UConn on Jan. 18. Courtney Williams accounted for 23 points, nearly half of USF's team output, in the loss.
The Bulls hold a 9-6 lead over Houston in the 15 previous meetings between the clubs. USF won the most recent battle, 71-53, on Jan. 29, 2014.
 | LAST TIME OUT |
JANUARY 17 • TULSA 74, HOUSTON 52 | Final Stats Houston was upended by American Athletic Conference foe Tulsa on Jan. 17, 74-52, at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
The Cougars were led by Gilbert, who finished with another in a string of huge statistical performances. The junior led Houston with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Gilbert set a career high with 34 minutes on the court, and she also blocked a shot. The rejection gave her at least one block in 16 of Houston's 17 games.
Jessieka Palmer had a strong performance in her own right, finishing just shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. The junior knocked down eight free throws, the top performance by a Houston player in 2014-15.
Bianca Winslow came off the bench to match a career high with three steals against Tulsa. She also dished a pair of assists.
Tulsa's biggest edge came in 3-point shooting, where they connected on nine trifectas and Houston finished with four. Mariah Mitchell and Alecia Smith each knocked down a pair of 3-pointers for the Cougars.
| GILBERT NAMED TO AMERICAN HONOR ROLL |
Gilbert was named to the American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 19 after her tremendous effort against Tulsa two days earlier.
The junior forward guided the Cougars with 16 points and a career-best 13 rebounds in the Tulsa game on Jan. 17. The double-double was the second of the season for the Missouri City native.
Gilbert has been a force in American games, where she ranks 21st with 11.3 points per game and tied for eighth with 8.5 rebounds per game. She leads UH in both categories.
On the interior, Gilbert has been one of the American's top defensive players. She has 37 blocked shots and averages 2.2 per game, fourth in the league. She has rejected at least one shot in 16 of Houston's 17 games, including six against Cincinnati on Jan. 7.
| DEVELOPMENT FACILITY WEBCAM GOES LIVE |
The Cougars will have a new Basketball Development Facility to call home in 2015-16, and fans can now watch the construction of the facility live, 24 hours a day. To view progress of the construction, fans can click on uh.edu/infotech/services/webcam/.
Designed by DLR Group and Page, the new Development Center is located adjacent to Hofheinz Pavilion at the corner of Cullen Boulevard and Holman Street on the UH campus. Construction on the $25 million facility is expected to be completed by August 2015
The 53,000 square-foot facility will provide the environment that the Houston Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes need to excel throughout the season in all areas. The first level will house a dedicated practice court for each team as well as sports performance and sports medicine areas, which will be used by both programs.
The second level will feature the teams' areas, which include locker rooms and academic/film theaters. The team rooms contain spacious, modern lockers, multiple video screens for television and comfortable furniture. The third level will hold office space for both Men's and Women's Basketball coaching and support staffs.
| COUGARS IN THE AMERICAN RANKINGS |
Four Cougars are listed among The American's top statistical performers through Jan. 20.
Palmer now ranks in The American's top-30 in scoring and rebounding. She's listed 26th in scoring, at 10.0 points per game, and tied for 20th in rebounds, at 5.5 per game.
Gilbert is tied for fourth with 2.2 blocks per game, and her 6.1 rebound average is ranked 18th and rising. She ranks inside of the national top-50 in rejections.
Marche' Amerson is ranked 13th in The American, shooting 37.0 percent from 3-point range.
Smith led the Cougars in assists in 11 straight games from Nov. 29 - Jan. 7. The junior ranks fifth in The American, at 4.0 assists per game, and she is also listed eighth with a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio.
In conference games, Gilbert leads Houston and ranks 21st in the league with 11.3 points per game.
Smith is dishing 4.7 assists per game in American action, third in the conference.
| THE HUGHEY DIFFERENCE |
New head coach Ronald Hughey earned his first American Athletic Conference victory on Jan. 3 with a 63-45 trouncing of SMU. The victory was the sixth of the season for Houston.
Last season, Houston did not earn their first American win until Feb. 9 against Cincinnati, and they didn't reach six total wins until the American Championship First Round victory over Memphis on March 7, in their 30th contest.
Statistically, the Cougars have seen marked improvements in scoring offense, scoring defense, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, assists, steals and blocks under Hughey.
| 2014-15 AWARDS TALLY |
Three Cougars have already earned spots on the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll this season. Gilbert was the latest to receive the honor, on Jan. 19.
Palmer was honored on Nov. 24 after scoring a career-high 20 points in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Mitchell took home the award on Dec. 22 after scoring 15 points in the Nicholls State victory.
Mitchell and Amerson were both honored with spots on the Athletes in Action All-Tournament Team for their play at the event. Both players averaged 8.0 points per game at the tournament, leading the Cougars to a 2-1 record.
| HOME SWEET ROAD |
In the first season of the Hughey Era, the Cougars have repeatedly demonstrated their toughness by winning difficult games away from Hofheinz Pavilion. Through Jan. 20, Houston has already won five games away from their home court, including their first American win on Jan. 3 at SMU.
Houston won just three games away from home in 2013-14, another example of Hughey's influence.
Hughey's team opened the season with a 46-42 road victory over North Texas on Nov. 14 in Denton, and they overcame a raucous on-campus environment to defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 68-66, on Nov. 21.
The Cougars also won two neutral site games at the Athletes in Action Classic in Lubbock. Houston took down UTSA, 56-53, on Dec. 19, and one day later they earned a 65-47 triumph over Nicholls State.
| #CHASINGGREATNESS WITH THE COUGARS |
Three student-athletes have signed to join the Houston program next season.
Chyanne Butler, a native of Costa Mesa, Calif., will transfer to Houston at the start of the spring 2015 semester and will play for the Cougars in 2015-16. The USC transfer averaged 17.0 points and 3.3 steals per game during her prep career. She was tabbed as the Class of 2014's 25th-ranked point guard by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
Sharayla Brown is a 6-3 post player out of Tulsa, Okla., and East Central HS. She averaged 12.0 points per game as East Central advanced to the championship game of the 2014 OSSAA Class 5A State Tournament.
Serithia "MoMo" Hawkins is a 5-10 guard from Moore, Okla., and Southmoore HS. She is ranked as the 69th-best Class of 2015 guard by ESPN Hoopgurlz, and she is a 3-star prospect. Led by Hawkins, Southmoore upset the top-ranked team in the state of Oklahoma, Edmond Santa Fe, on Tuesday evening.
| SERIES HISTORY vs. USF |
Houston is 6-9 all-time against USF. The Bulls won both meetings last season after the clubs went nine seasons without playing each other.
The most recent meeting between USF and Houston went to the Bulls, 71-53, on Jan. 29, 2014 in Tampa, Fla. Amerson and Demetria Foreman led the Cougars with 14 points each, while Courtney Williams had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls. | Final Stats
| SCOUTING THE BULLS |
USF is 14-4 (5-1 American) entering Wednesday's game. The Bulls had won eight consecutive games prior to a 92-50 loss to No. 2 UConn on Jan. 18. | Final Stats
The Bulls are 4-2 in road games this season, with their only losses coming to top-10 teams Maryland, 85-67 on Nov. 19, and UConn in their last game.
USF is currently listed No. 24 according to the NCAA's RPI rankings. They have risen as high as No. 25 in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll, and they are still receiving votes in both major polls.
Williams, a junior guard, tops the Bulls and ranks third in The American with 19.5 points per game. She scored a team-high 23 points in USF's loss to UConn.
Junior forward Alisia Jenkins averages a double-double, with 11.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. She is the only player in The American averaging double-figures in rebounding.
| QUICK HITS |
- Houston's last win over USF came on Jan. 16, 2005, a 65-45 triumph at Hofheinz Pavilion.
- Gilbert now has 37 blocks this season, 16 shy of Houston's single-season top-10. With 56 career blocks, she also needs 16 to join the program's top-10 in the category.
- USF has lost three of their last four trips to Hofheinz.
- Wednesday's game is the only scheduled meeting between USF and Houston this season. The Bulls are one of two American teams that the Cougars will face only once, with UConn being the other.
| UP NEXT FOR COUGARS |
Houston travels to American Athletic Conference rival Memphis on Saturday, Jan. 24, for a 2 pm CT contest. Live video coverage of the game is available on the American Digital Network.
The Cougars were victorious in their last meeting with Memphis, a 73-67 victory on March 7, 2014 in the opening round of the American Championship. Amerson scored a career-high 24 points in the win.
Houston's next home game is Tuesday, Jan. 27 against Tulane. 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--
