University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
4-15, 0-8AAC
USF
14-5, 7-2AAC
Amerson Reaches 1,000 Point Plateau at USF
1/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Tampa, Fla. â€" Senior forward Marche' Amerson became the 23rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points, as the Houston Cougar women's basketball team fell 73-49 at No. 20/18 USF on Wednesday, in Tampa, Fla.
"We had a great start. We let the second quarter get away from us with some defensive breakdowns," Head Coach Ronald Hughey said. "Unfortunately for us those led to some big threes for them. They went on a 9-0 run, when we called timeout, after we were only down by one. The second quarter was the quarter we didn't come to play. They started running their offense harder and guarding us and pushing us around a little bit, and they were just a little tougher than we were in the second quarter. After halftime we matched, but we didn't perform in that second quarter."
Houston jumped out to an 8-3 lead against one of the nation's top ranked teams on a pair of three pointers by seniors Alecia Smith and Jessieka Palmer. The Bulls would battle back to take an 11-8 lead on an 8-0 run, but the Cougars would respond with four of the quarter's last six points to cut the lead to 13-12 at the end of the first.
THE BASICS
Score: USF 73, Houston 49
Records: Houston 4-15 (0-8), No. 20/18 USF 14-5 (7-2)
Date: Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Location: Tampa, Fla. (Sun Dome)
TURNING POINT
The Bulls found their rhythm in the second quarter, and began the period on an 18-0 run before the Cougars could get on the board and cut the score to 31-14. With 6:25 to play in the third quarter, Amerson drove to the lane and pulled up for the basket to give her six points in the contest and 1,000 in her career.
"It was great to see Marche' get to one of the individual goals that she set, and she's worked hard to get the opportunity to do that. I was happy to see that she had a chance to capture that," Hughey said. "Hopefully we can have plenty more in this program come through and capture 1,000 points."
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Senior guard Alecia Smith returned to the lineup in a big way after taking time off to deal with a concussion. Smith led the Cougars with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting and collected four rebounds and two assists. Freshman Serithia Hawkins added nine points and six boards, while Amerson finished with eight points and five rebounds.
USF: The Bulls got big contributions from two players in Kitija Laksa and Courtney Williams. Laksa led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from behind the arc. Williams added 16 points of her own and pulled down 13 rebounds to complete the double-double.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Cougars had active hands all night, and were able to collect 10 steals in the game while limiting the Bulls to just five.
- Houston took advantage of those steals to the tune of collecting 12 points on the fast break.
NEWS & NOTES
- With her eight points in the contest, senior Marche' Amerson became the 23rd student-athlete in school history to reach the 1,000 points club. Amerson now has 1,002 points in her career.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
The Cougars stay on the road for one more contest as they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tipoff in that contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.
$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 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.
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