University of Houston
0-2
Long Beach State
3-0
Cougars Battle Hard, Fall to Long Beach State
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
| Postgame Quotes
HOUSTON - An early deficit could not sway the University of Houston Women's Basketball team Thursday night, though the Cougars could not complete the rally, dropping a 47-41 decision to Long Beach State at Hofheinz Pavilion.
"We have been working on our attention, our focus and our energy and communication at the start of games," Houston head coach Ronald Hughey said. "The resilience of this team is really good; you can see it gives us an opportunity to fight more, come back and do things to be successful."
Houston's defensive tenacity kept Hughey's team alive throughout the game. After surrendering 21 points in the opening quarter, the Cougars allowed just 26 points for the rest of the game. Overall, Long Beach State shot just 33.3 percent (14-for-42) and was pressured into 21 turnovers.
 | THE BASICS |
Score: Long Beach State 47, Houston 41
Records: Houston 0-2, Long Beach State 3-0
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015
Location: Houston, Texas (Hofheinz Pavilion)
| TURNING POINT |
After falling behind 15-2 in the first five minutes of the game, the Cougars rallied to tie the contest on two occasions. The Coogs drew even for the first time with 8:30 left in the third quarter, as a Kierra Graves 3-pointer made the score 26-all. The game was tied for the last time with 1:46 left in the third, as Jacqueline Blake sank two free throws to make the score 37-all.
But LBSU took the lead on their next possession, as Jewelyn Sawyer hit a layup for the final points of the third period. The visitors held Houston to just four points in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
| TOP PERFORMERS |
Houston: Jessieka Palmer and Alecia Smith led Houston with eight points each, while Graves and Marche' Amerson each posted seven.
Long Beach State: Anna Kim hit all four of her 3-point attempts and scored 14 points, while Sawyer notched 12 points and 11 rebounds.
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
- The Cougars hit 13-of-40 (32.5 percent) of their field goal attempts, 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) of their 3-point attempts and 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) of their free throws.
- LBSU was 9-for-19 (47.4 percent) from 3-point range and 10-for-18 (55.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
- Smith led the Cougars with two assists and three steals while playing a game-high 37 minutes.
- Palmer grabbed a team-best seven rebounds, while Serithia Hawkins posted six.
- Houston won the rebounding battle, 34-26. The Cougars grabbed 11 offensive boards.
- Long Beach State led at halftime, 26-21, though the Cougars held LBSU to just five points in the second quarter.
- LBSU won the first quarter, 21-10. Houston took the next two, 11-5 and 16-13. The 49ers edged the game out with an 8-4 margin in the fourth period.
- Amerson led the Cougars with five points at intermission.
| NEWS & NOTES |
- Amerson now has 874 career points and is 126 points shy of joining Houston's 1,000-point club.
- With the 92nd start of her Houston career, Amerson tied Betty Darthard (1980-84) for sixth in program history.
- LBSU came into the game averaging 81.5 points per game, but the Cougars stifled that production, limiting the visitors to more than 34 points below their average.
- Tyler Gilbert blocked two shots on the night and has now rejected a shot in six straight games dating back to last season.
- Gilbert is up to 88 career blocks, five behind Lesslee Mason (2009-11) for eighth in program history.
- With two more 3-pointers tonight, Smith is up to 116 for her career, nine back of Roxana Button (2008-12) for the sixth spot in the Cougar record books.
- Long Beach State holds a 4-1 edge in the all-time series.
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Houston is back at Hofheinz Sunday to host Louisiana-Lafayette. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT as the Cougars and Ragin' Cajuns face off for the first time since 1999, and tickets are available at UHCougars.com/tickets.
| $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--
