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University of Houston Athletics
Houston Goes for Season Sweep of SMU
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| HOUSTON (6-20, 1-14 AMERICAN) vs. SMU (5-20, 1-13 AMERICAN) | |
|---|---|
| "H" Day Tickets |
BUY Tickets • Tickets Info |
| Questions? | Fan Guide |
| Date/Time | Saturday • 2 pm CT |
| Location |
Hofheinz Pavilion • Houston, Texas |
| Live Video |
American Digital Network |
| Live Audio |
UHCougars.com Jeremy Branham, PxP |
| Live Stats |
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| Series History |
Houston leads, 31-21 |
| Game Notes |
• Houston Notes • SMU Notes • The American Notes |
| Social Media |   |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball squad is thinking about a sweep when they host SMU on Saturday afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion. Game time is scheduled for 2 pm CT.
Saturday is a packed day at UH, as the Cougars will host "H" Day and the Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan contest. Houston fans can purchase a $50 all-inclusive ticket which includes entry to the "H" Association BBQ dinner, women's basketball at 2 pm, softball at 3 pm, baseball at 6:30 pm and men's basketball at 8:30 pm. Fans can pick up a punch card at the women's basketball game, and those who receive a punch at all four events can turn their cards in at the men's basketball game to receive a special edition Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan t-shirt and be entered into a drawing for the Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan grand prize. | TICKETS
Fans are reminded that the women's basketball game is the ONLY location where Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan punch cards can be picked up.
The fun doesn't stop there, as the Cougars will give away free UH Basketball car magnets to the first 500 fans in attendance. The Green Starlettes Girl Scouts drill team will perform at halftime, and Houston women's basketball student-athletes will sign autographs after the game on the Hofheinz concourse.
Earlier this week, Cougar fan Cynthia Lopez won Houston's Honorary Coach contest. Lopez will join head coach Ronald Hughey and the Cougars during pregame preparations, and she will have the best seat in the house as UH faces SMU at 2 pm.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the American Digital Network. Matt Thomas and Lincoln Rose will handle broadcast duties.
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 (6-20, 1-14 American Athletic Conference) fell to No. 1/1 UConn, 85-26, on Feb. 17. Mariah Mitchell led the Cougars with nine points on 4-for-9 shooting in a reserve role.
SMU (5-20, 1-13 American) is on a three-game losing streak after falling to East Carolina, 67-53, on Feb. 18. Stephanie Collins paced the Mustangs with 13 points and four blocks.
Houston is 31-21 all-time against the Mustangs and won the first meeting this season, 63-45, on Jan. 3 in Dallas. Tyler Gilbert scored a team-high 18 points, while Jessieka Palmer added 16.
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LAST TIME OUT
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FEBRUARY 17 • No. 1/1 UCONN 85, HOUSTON 26 | Final Stats | Photo GalleryHouston challenged the top team in the nation and fell to UConn, 85-26, on Feb. 17.
Mitchell came off the bench and stood toe-to-toe with the Huskies, scoring a team-high nine points. The rookie drained a 3-pointer with 11:36 left in the game, giving her 21 for the season and giving her sole possession of 10th place in the UH freshman record books.
Gilbert had a gutsy effort on the glass, finishing with a team-high seven rebounds in a career-best 36 minutes on the court. Bianca Winslow paced the Cougars with two assists and grabbed a steal.
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MITCHELL STANDS TALL IN FRESHMAN SEASON
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Mitchell led Houston with nine points on an efficient 4-for-9 shooting effort on Feb. 17 against UConn. The strong performance was another in a line of quality outings for the freshman from McKinney, who averages 6.3 points per game.
The freshman has led Houston in scoring four times as a rookie, including the last two games. She notched a team-high 13 points in the Temple game on Feb. 14.
Mitchell has hit 21 3-pointers this season, which is 10th-best in Houston history among rookies. Her 69.5 percent free throw shooting mark is currently the seventh-best mark for Houston freshmen, and her 33.3 percent mark from 3-point range ranks fourth.
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COUGARS CLIMB PROGRAM RECORD BOOKS
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Three juniors and a freshman are in the process of writing their names in the Houston women's basketball record book.
Guard Alecia Smith ranks seventh in UH history with 108 career 3-pointers after hitting four trifectas on Houston's just-completed road trip. She is bearing down on Roxana Button (2008-12), who knocked down 125 trifectas in her career.
Gilbert has swatted 57 shots this season, the eighth-best one-year total in UH history. She is just one rejection behind Valerie Muoneke (2001-02) for the seventh position.
The junior post presence now has 76 career blocks, 17 behind Lesslee Mason (2009-11) for eighth all-time in Houston history.
Junior forward Marche' Amerson has started 87 games, which ranks 10th in Houston history. She will match Vickey Finch (1979-83) for ninth in the UH record books with her next starting nod.
Mitchell has hit 21 3-pointers this season, which ranks 10th in UH history among freshmen. She will match Amerson for ninth with three more outside shots.
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DEVELOPMENT FACILITY WEBCAM GOES LIVE
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Watch
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.
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COUGARS IN THE AMERICAN RANKINGS
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Three Cougars continue to rank among the top statistical performers in The American through games played on Feb. 20.
Palmer paces the Houston attack and ranks 30th in The American in scoring, at 9.6 points per game. The junior is also listed 28th in the league with 4.8 rebounds per game.
Gilbert ranks fourth in The American, averaging 2.2 blocked shots per game. Houston's leading rebounder, the junior forward is listed 18th in the conference with 5.8 boards per game.
The Missouri City native has spent the majority of the season ranked among the NCAA's top-50 in blocks, and she's currently listed 50th.
Smith is ranked among the top point guards in The American in multiple categories. She is listed fifth in assists, with 3.5 per game, and eighth with a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 1.5 3-pointers per game average ranks her 11th.
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JOIN THE CLUB
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Two Cougars reached statistical milestones against Tulane on Jan. 27. Leading the way was Smith, who made her 100th career 3-point field goal in the game. She is the seventh Cougar to reach the milestone.
Gilbert tallied her 60th career block in the Tulane game. She is one of only 10 Cougars to record the feat. The junior became just the ninth Cougar to block 50 shots in a single season against East Carolina on Feb. 3.
Amerson topped the 800-point plateau for her career on Feb. 7 against Tulsa. The Bryan native is on pace to become Houston's 23rd 1,000-point scorer midway through the 2015-16 season.
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SERIES HISTORY vs. SMU
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Houston holds a 31-21 advantage over their Lone Star State rivals in 52 prior meetings. The Cougars own more victories over SMU than any opponent besides Rice (51), Baylor (33) and Texas A&M (32).
The Cougars trounced SMU, 63-45, on Jan. 3 in Dallas. Houston trailed by double-digits early in the second half but finished the game on a 34-7 run. Gilbert set a career high with 18 points in the win, while Palmer added 16 points and 11 rebounds in her first career double-double. Alicia Froling led SMU with 13 points, and Destynee Hives-McCray pulled in 11 rebounds. | Final Stats
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SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
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SMU enters the weekend with a three-game losing streak after falling to East Carolina, 67-53, on Feb. 18. | Final StatsThe Mustangs have also suffered losses to No. 25/25 USF (72-51, Feb. 10) and Tulsa (72-59, Feb. 14) as part of their recent skid.
SMU is 1-8 on the road this season, though their one away victory came in American play. The Mustangs downed UCF, 70-60, on Feb. 7.
Froling, a freshman, is SMU's lone double-figures scorer, at 12.2 points per game. Hives-McCray averages 9.7 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds.
Collins had scored just 23 points in SMU's first 24 games but led the Mustangs with 13 points in the loss to East Carolina. Gabrielle Wilkins added 12 in the ECU game, while Froling added 10 points and nine rebounds.
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2014-15 AWARDS TALLY
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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, after pulling in 13 rebounds vs. Tulsa.
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.
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#CHASINGGREATNESS WITH THE COUGARS
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Three student-athletes have signed to join the Houston program next season.
Chyanne Butler, a native of Costa Mesa, Calif., transferred 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.
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QUICK HITS
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- Though SMU won last season's meeting in Hofheinz, 73-60, the Cougars defended their home court on Feb. 24, 2013, 65-58.
- Smith scored 10 points and dished four assists in the Jan. 3 win over SMU
- The winner of Saturday's game will hold 10th place in the American standings.
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UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
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Houston's final regular season road game is Tuesday, Feb. 24 against UCF. The Cougars will face the Knights at 6 pm CT in Orlando, Fla.
The 2014-15 regular season finale is Monday, March 2 against Temple. Tipoff is set for 7 pm CT at Hofheinz Pavilion, and the Cougars will honor seniors Terran Alford and Demetria Foreman at their final home game. | TICKETS
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BE THE COOGS' MOST DEDICATED FAN AT "H" DAY
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Saturday's contest is part of the "H" Day celebration. Houston fans can purchase a $50 all-inclusive ticket which includes entry to the "H" Association BBQ dinner, Houston Women's Basketball vs. SMU at 2 p.m., Houston Softball vs. New Mexico at 3 p.m. and Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 5:30 p.m., Houston Baseball vs. Alabama at 6:30 p.m. and Houston Men's Basketball vs. Cincinnati at 8:30 p.m. UH supporters looking to attend the BBQ only can purchase a BBQ ticket for $15. | TICKETS
Fans who attend all four events have a chance to be named the Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan. Houston fans can pick up their Dedicated Coog card at the Women's Basketball game at Hofheinz Pavilion and pick up their first of four hole-punches. Fans who enter the venue of each sporting event and show their Dedicated Coog card will receive a hole-punch from the Houston Athletics Marketing Department.
Receive a fourth punch and turn in a completed card at Hofheinz at the Men's Basketball game and fans will receive a special edition Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan t-shirt and be entered into the Coogs' Most Dedicated Fan grand prize consisting of batting practice for two with Houston Baseball, throwing out the first pitch at the March 22 Houston Softball game vs. USF, a suite for 20 at the March 1 Houston Men's Basketball game vs. USF, serve as the honorary head coach for the March 2 Houston Women's Basketball game vs. Temple and receive two field passes for the Houston Football Spring Game on April 18.
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STAY CONNECTED
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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.
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STUDENTS - CHEER ON YOUR COUGARS!
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All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular season women's basketball home games with a valid student ID.
--UHCougars.com--
