Cougars Open Home Slate with Long Beach State
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| HOUSTON (0-1) vs. LONG BEACH STATE (2-0) | |
|---|---|
| BUY A SHASTA PASS | UHCougars.com/tickets |
| Date/Time | Thursday • 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Hofheinz Pavilion • Houston, Texas |
| Live Video | Houston All-Access |
| Live Audio | UHCougars.com/wbbradio |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | LBSU leads, 3-1 |
| Game Notes | • Houston Notes • LBSU Notes • The American Notes |
| Social Media |   |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Women's Basketball team is back at Hofheinz Pavilion Thursday for their first home game of the 2015-16 regular season. The Cougars host Long Beach State, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass, the best way to see Houston's 13 regular season home games. For only $50, fans who purchase a Shasta Pass will receive general admission entrance to all 13 home games, including the Jan. 8 game against defending national champion UConn. The Shasta Pass also grants entry to all remaining 2015 Houston Volleyball home matches and every home game on the 2016 Houston Softball schedule. | CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A SHASTA PASS | FULL SCHEDULE Single-game tickets are also available for Thursday's game and can be purchased at the Hofheinz Pavilion ticket office.
Fans who can't be at Hofheinz Pavilion Thursday night can follow the matchup through a variety of platforms. Houston All-Access subscribers can watch live video of the contest, and free live audio is available at UHCougars.com/wbbradio, with Jeremy Branham on the call. Also, will provide an up-to-the-second numerical breakdown, while the official Twitter account of Houston Women's Basketball, @UHCougarWBB, will post periodic updates. | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | | TWITTER
Houston enters the game 0-1 after falling Nov. 13 to College of Charleston, 55-48. Thursday's game starts a two-game home stand for the Cougars, who welcome Louisiana-Lafayette to Hofheinz Pavilion Sunday.
Long Beach State opened the season with a pair of home victories. The 49ers defeated San Diego State Nov. 13, 74-54, and they followed that win with an 89-71 win over Portland State, Nov. 15.
 | THE STARTING FIVE |
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines that you need to know about the Long Beach State game.
Home Opener - Houston opens their 41st season inside of Hofheinz Pavilion when they host Thursday's game, starting at 7 p.m. CT.
Renewing a Series - Houston and Long Beach State will play for the fifth time in history but the first time since the 2004-05 season. The 49ers hold the all-time edge, 3-1.
As Tight as Last Time? - LBSU and Houston played a closely contested home-and-home series in 2004 and 2005. The 49ers defended their home court, 54-52, in `04, and UH did the same, 66-57, in `05.
Looking for a Win - The Cougars are aiming for their first win of the regular season Thursday after falling to College of Charleston, 55-48, Nov. 8.
New Leadership - Ronald Hughey's team was guided by a pair of new additions in the CofC game. Freshman Serithia Hawkins scored a team-high 11 points, and Kierra Graves had nine rebounds.
| HOUSTON ONE-SHOTS |
Here's the one thing you need to know about each member of the Houston roster:
#1 - Chyanne Butler - Butler will be eligible to play the second semester after transferring from USC in January 2015.
#2 - Jacqueline Blake - Blake recorded four rebounds, including a pair of offensive boards, in only nine minutes against College of Charleston.
#3 - Bianca Winslow - Winslow started the final 13 games of the 2014-15 season. During that stretch she led Houston with 2.5 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game.
#5 - Dionna Collins - Collins was a finalist for the WBCA Junior College Player of the Year award in 2014-15 after averaging 21.7 points per game at Redlands CC.
#10 - Cenecia Newman - Newman averaged 15 points per game as a senior at Cedar Hill (Texas) HS and was named District 8-6A MVP at the end of the season.
#12 - Brianne Coffman - Coffman will redshirt in 2015-16 due to NCAA transfer requirements. She spent her first two collegiate seasons at Oklahoma State.
#15 - Alecia Smith - Smith ranked 10th in The American in 2014-15 with 3.1 assists per game and 14th in the conference with 1.4 made 3-pointers per game.
#21 - Jessieka Palmer - Palmer tallied a pair of career highs in the College of Charleston game, with four assists and four blocks.
#22 - Marche' Amerson - Amerson, who needs 133 points to become the 23rd member of Houston's 1,000-point club, scored eight points at College of Charleston.
#23 - Serithia Hawkins - In her first official collegiate game, Hawkins led the Cougars with 11 points at College of Charleston.
#24 - Mariah Mitchell - Mitchell steadily improved during her freshman season. She made all 16 of her starts vs. American opponents and averaged 7.3 points per game in league play.
#25 - Kierra Graves - Coach Hughey named Graves the Team MVP of the TAMIU exhibition after she scored nine points and snagged four steals.
#32 - Sharayla Brown - Brown logged eight minutes of court time in her exhibition debut against TAMIU, grabbing three rebounds.
#33 - Tyler Gilbert - Gilbert blocked 63 shots in 2014-15, the fifth-highest single-season total in Houston history, and swatted four shots at College of Charleston.
#35 - Taylor Gilbert - Gilbert received a medical hardship redshirt due to career-ending knee injuries. She remains on scholarship and is an active part of team functions.
| LAST TIME OUT |
NOV. 13, 2015 • CHARLESTON 55, HOUSTON 48 | Final Stats
Houston opened the season on the road, falling to College of Charleston, 55-48, Nov. 13 in Charleston, S.C.
Hawkins led the Cougars with 11 points in her first official collegiate game. Hawkins was 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point territory in addition to grabbing five rebounds.
Graves led the Cougars with nine rebounds from the guard position, while Palmer ended the game with a pair of career highs after tallying four assists and three blocks.
Gilbert started her season with four blocked shots and now has 86 for her career, still ninth in Houston history. The senior rejected two shots in the first five minutes of the game.
Amerson played 28 minutes to move into eighth in Houston history with 2,867 career minutes. She also tied for seventh in Houston history with her 91st career start. She also scored eight points on the evening and now has 867 career points.
Houston played incredibly stingy defense against College of Charleston, holding the home team to 16-for-57 (28.1 percent) shooting.
| SERIES vs. LONG BEACH STATE |
Thursday's matchup is the fifth all-time between Houston and Long Beach State. The 49ers hold an all-time edge of 3-1, with the teams splitting two games at Hofheinz Pavilion.
The teams last played Nov. 20, 2005, a 66-57 UH win at Hofheinz. Sha'Ratta Hawkins led the Cougars with 14 points and Ryan Meyers grabbed nine rebounds. | BOX SCORE The victory was revenge for Houston after Long Beach won the prior meeting, 54-52, on Dec. 20, 2004. That loss knocked Houston out of the national top-25 polls.
Long Beach State's only trip to Hofheinz prior to the 2005 contest came Jan. 12, 1986, a 94-84 LBSU victory.
| THE COACHES |
Houston head Coach Ronald Hughey is in his second season at Houston, with a career record of 6-25. This will be his first meeting against Long Beach State.
Hughey accumulated a 163-154 (.514) career record in 10 seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant coach at South Carolina State, South Carolina, UCF, Rutgers, Texas and Florida State. He is a veteran of seven postseason tournaments (6 NCAA, 1 NIT) including two NCAA Second Rounds (2013, 2014), four NCAA First Rounds (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and one WNIT Second Round (2008).
A vaunted recruiter, Hughey orchestrated multiple national top-15 recruiting classes at both Texas and Florida State. At Houston, he signed an eight-player recruiting class in 2014-15, including two NJCAA All-Americans and four players rated as 3-star recruits by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
Long Beach State head coach Jody Wynn is 92-99 in her seventh season with the 49ers.
| SCOUTING THE 49ers |
Long Beach State is 2-0 after wins over San Diego State (74-54, Nov. 13) and Portland State (89-71, Nov. 15).
Houston will need to lock down defensively, as the 49ers are averaging 81.5 points per game and shooting 45.3 percent from the floor through two games.
Five LBSU players average double-figures in scoring after two games, led by junior guard Jewelyn Sawyer at 17.0 points per game. Sawyer is also tops on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game, with Ravon Benton dishing 6.5 assists per game.
The Cougars will look to grab an advantage on the glass, where LBSU has been outrebounded by an average of 4.5 boards per game through one week. The 49ers are allowing opponents to secure 13.5 offensive rebounds per game.
| MARCHE'S MARCH TO 1,000 POINTS |
Amerson enters the Long Beach State game with 867 career points and is just 133 points shy of Houston's 1,000-point club. At her current career pace of 9.4 points per game, she's on pace to cross the threshold in her 15th appearance of the season.
When she accomplishes the feat, Amerson will be Houston's 23rd 1,000-point scorer. Current Atlanta Dream standout Sancho Lyttle (2003-05) occupies the 22nd spot, with 1,092 career points, while Ann Moon (1977-81) checks in at No. 21 with 1,094 points.
| STAY OUT OF THE PAINT |
Gilbert's four-block afternoon at College of Charleston was the 12th time the senior has rejected at least three shots in a game. Through one full week of play, Gilbert is tied for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference and 11th nationally with 4.0 blocks per game.
Palmer's three blocks at Charleston also have her high on the rejections list. She's ranked third in The American and 38th in the nation.
| MILESTONE WATCH |
Amerson isn't the only Cougar who is climbing the Cougar record books in 2015-16, and her journey to 1,000 points isn't the only number to monitor this season. The senior from Bryan, Texas, enters the LBSU game seventh in Houston history with 91 career starts, eighth with 2,867 career minutes, 10th with 267 3-point field goal attempts, and 11th with 76 made 3-point field goals.
Smith is climbing the career 3-point record books, ranking seventh in made 3-pointers (114) and fifth in attempts (459). She is currently listed just outside the school's top-10 in minutes (2,611).
Gilbert's shot-blocking explosion from last season vaulted her high on Houston's blocked shots charts. She is currently ranked ninth in school history with 86 rejections.ÂÂ
| GUY V. LEWIS BASKETBALL CENTER UPDATE |
Live Webcam
The Houston Men's and Women's Basketball programs are just a few short days away from moving into the Guy V. Lewis Basketball Center. Once completed, the $25 million facility will be the home base for both Cougar hoops squads.
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.
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.
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Houston returns to Hofheinz Pavilion Sunday at 2 p.m., when they host Louisiana-Lafayette. Tickets are available at UHCougars.com/tickets for the first matchup between the Cougars and Ragin' Cajuns since 1999.
UL is 1-0 after defeating Ole Miss last Sunday evening, 82-78. The Ragin' Cajuns host Southern-New Orleans Thursday night before making the trek the Hofheinz Pavilion Sunday.
| $50 SHASTA PASS NOW AVAILABLE |
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2015-16 athletic season. For only $50, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Women's Basketball, Volleyball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial savings as single-game tickets start at $8 for all four sports. Fans can save $126 alone during the Houston fall sports seasons. To purchase a Shasta Pass, CLICK HERE.
| 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.
--UHCougars.com--
