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University of Houston Athletics
Houston Hosts St. Edwards in Exhibition Action
11/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Women's Basketball team begins their 2016-17 season Sunday, when they host St. Edward's in an exhibition game. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT inside Hofheinz Pavilion.
Admission is FREE to Sunday's game, as Cougar fans are encouraged to catch their first glimpse of Head Coach Ronald Hughey's team. The Hofheinz Pavilion doors will open at 1 p.m. CT, and seating is available on a general admission basis.
Though Sunday's admission is FREE, Houston Ticket Sales and Operations is proud to offer the Shasta Pass, the best way to see Houston's 14 regular season home games. For only $80, fans who purchase a Shasta Pass will receive general admission entrance to all 14 home games. The Shasta Pass also grants entry to all remaining 2016 Houston Volleyball home matches and every home game on the 2017 Houston Softball schedule. | CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A SHASTA PASS | FULL SCHEDULE
Fans who can't make it to Hofheinz on Sunday can watch the exhibition game live via UHCougars.com All-Access. Live statistics are available through , and the official Twitter account of Houston Women's Basketball, @UHCougarWBB, will offer updates throughout the game. | | TWITTER
Sunday's exhibition is a dress rehearsal for both the Cougars and the Hilltoppers and will not count toward either team's official record.
THE STARTING FIVE
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines that you need to know about the St. Edward's game.
Third Season -- Sunday's game marks the start of Head Coach Ronald Hughey's third season in charge of the Houston Women's Basketball program.
Two Seniors -- Two Cougars will begin their final collegiate seasons on Sunday: Jacqueline Blake and Kierra Graves. Blake and Graves each transferred to Houston prior to their junior seasons.
Seven Debuts -- Seven Cougars are eligible to make their UH debut: Freshmen Angela Harris, Jasmyne Harris, Dorian Branch, Quatera Limbrick and Natasha Mack as well as two juniors, Brianne Coffman and Dionna Collins who redshirted the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules.
Who are they? -- Houston's opponent for their exhibition matchup is the St. Edward's Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers play in Division II's Heartland Conference.
November 13 -- Sunday's exhibition will not count toward Houston's 2016-17 record. The Coogs will be focused on Sunday, Nov. 13, when they open the regular season against Southeastern Louisiana inside Hofheinz Pavilion.
HOUSTON ONE-SHOTS
Here's the one thing you need to know about each member of the Houston roster:
#0 -- Angela Harris -- A 5-6 freshman guard out of Cy-Fair High School, Harris was rated as the No. 27 point guard in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
#1 -- Chyanne Butler - Butler averaged 5.6 points per contest after taking over the starting point guard role midway through the 2015-16 season.
#2 -- Jacqueline Blake - One of just two seniors on the roster, Blake transferred in from Miami Dade Community College.
#3 -- Dorian Branch- The nation's No. 18 wing from the Class of 2016, Branch is a 5-10 forward from Dallas, Texas.
#4 -- Jasmyne Harris - An electric scorer, Jasmyne Harris was rated as the 25th best guard in last year's signing class out of Brazosport High School.
#5 -- Dionna Collins - The Cougars are excited to get Collins on the court after missing the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules.
#10 -- Cecnecia Newman - Newman saw valuable minutes as a freshman in 2015-16 season and even eared a pair of starts for the Cougars.
#11 -- Natasha Mack - Natasha Mack became the first top-100 prospect to sign under head Coach Ronald Hughey during the 2015-16 season.
#12 -- Brianne Coffman - Coffman is itching to step on the court for the first time in nearly two years after transferring to Houston from Oklahoma State.
#14 -- Quatera Limbrick - Limbrick finished her career at Episcopal High School in Sugar Land as the No. 74 point guard in the country. She's a dual threat who can score and distribute.
#23 -- Serithia Hawkins - Hawkins earned unanimous American Conference All-Freshman honors last season after leading the Coogs in points and rebounds per game.
#24 -- Mariah Mitchell - Houston's most tenured player, Mitchell has appeared in 59 games for the Cougars while making 26 starts in her first two seasons.
#25 -- Kierra Graves - Graves started 20 games for the 2015-16 Cougars after transferring in from Kaskaskia College and averaged 6.4 points per contest.
#32 -- Sharayla Brown - Brown appeared in 24 games while making five starts in her freshman season while adding depth in the front court.
#35 -- Kelsey Briggs - Briggs will redshirt the 2016-17 season due to transfer rules after joining the Cougars from Ole Miss this year.
SERIES vs. ST. EDWARD'S
There are no official meetings on the record between Houston and St. Edward's. Because it is an exhibition, Sunday's game will also not affect the all-time series record.
TRAFFIC ALERT
Fans traveling to Sunday's game should note that Interstate 45 in downtown Houston between Interstate 10 and US 59 will be closed all weekend.
Fans are encouraged to leave early and plan accordingly in dealing with traffic as construction continues.
THE COACHES
Houston head Coach Ronald Hughey is in his third season at Houston, with a career record of 12-48. This will be his first meeting against St. Edwards, but he is 2-0 all-time in exhibitions after the Coogs defeated Huston-Tillotson to open the 2014-15 campaign and won over Texas A&M International to kick off last season.
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 WNIT) 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.
St. Edward's Head Coach J.J. Riehl is in her fifth season with the Hilltoppers. Riehl's 2015-16 team qualified for its fourth straight Heartland Conference Tournament as the No. 6 seed. Riehl led St. Edward's to its first NCAA Tournament berth in 2013-14 following its Heartland Conference Tournament Championship.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
Members of NCAA Division II, St. Edward's finished with a 12-17 overall record in 2015-16, including an 8-10 mark in Heartland Conference play. The Hilltoppers stunned the No. 3 seed Texas A&M International and No. 2 seed UA Fort Smith in the 2016 Heartland Conference Tournament before dropping the championship game to No. 1 seed Lubbock Christian.
St. Edward's returns their top-two leading scorers from the 2015-16 season. Shakera Barnes paced the team with 13.8 points per contest, while Khiani Clark scored 12.8 per game. Clark was also a force in the paint for the Hilltoppers last season pulling down 9.1 rebounds per game.
HOUSTON'S RETURNERS
The Cougars bring back six letterwinners from last year's club including three primary starters.
Serithia Hawkins returns for her sophomore season after earning a unanimous American Athletic Conference All-Freshman team selection last season. Hawkins led the Cougars in both points per game (8.8) and rebounds per game (7.4) during her rookie season and started 28 of Houston's 30 contests.
Kierra Graves earned the starting 2-guard role midway through the season and made starts in 20 of Houston's 30 games. Graves contributed 6.4 points per contest while creating 35 steals in 23.6 minutes per game.
After missing the first half of the season due to transfer rules, Chyanne Butler became the starting point guard midway through the season. In limited action, Butler averaged 5.6 points per game while tallying 26 assists in 15 contests.
Mariah Mitchell is Houston's most tenured player, appearing in 60 games over her first two seasons with the Coogs. The junior averaged 5.1 points per game a year ago and shot 30.2 percent from behind the arc.
Sophomore Sharayla Brown and Cenecia Newman saw valuable minutes in their first season on campus last year. Brown averaged 1.3 rebounds per contest in 24 games in 2015-16, while Newman made two starts and scored 1.5 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT • MARCH 4, 2016 • TULSA 76, HOUSTON 38 | Final Stats
The Cougars ended their 2016-17 campaign with a 76-38 First Round loss to Tulsa in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship. The loss ended Houston's season at 6-24.
Tulsa grabbed a 16-point lead heading to the fourth and final quarter. The Golden Hurricane defense proved a tough task for the Cougars who were held to just three points in the quarter. Meanwhile, Tulsa closed the game on a 20-0 run to close out the contest.
The Coogs were paced by nine points from Hawkins.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston opens the regular season Sunday, Nov. 13, against Southeastern Louisiana, inside Hofheinz Pavilion. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
FERTITTA PLEDGES $20 MILLION TO ATHLETICS
Tilman J. Fertitta, globally recognized entrepreneur and Chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents, presented a historic $20 million gift to the University of Houston to transform the UH basketball arena into a state of the art collegiate sports facility and rename the arena Fertitta Center. Fertitta's gift is the largest individual donation to UH Athletics.
The Fertitta gift is a significant step forward in the $60 million University of Houston Basketball capital renewal project for the center's design and renovation. Design work is currently underway. Renovations and construction are scheduled to follow the 2016-17 season, with completion expected during the 2018-19 season. Plans for the Cougars' home facility during the 2017-18 season have not been finalized.
The facility will feature a premium club area and a courtside club. The reconfigured bowl will move mid-court seating locations closer to game action with floor-level seating opposite the team benches for UH students. Renovations include a new audio system, sports lighting and video boards as well as new concession stands and expanded restrooms. The facility's exterior also will be refreshed.
Prominent to the center's exterior, the renovation will preserve the legacy of the Hofheinz family and its contributions to both UH and the city of Houston. UH will transform an area adjacent to the new facility into Hofheinz Plaza, where fans will be greeted by a bronze statue of former Harris County Judge Roy Hofheinz. The University of Houston will request that city officials rename a portion of Holman Street in front of the arena after the Hofheinz family. In addition, Roy Hofheinz's records will be permanently archived and publicly accessible as a special collection in the UH library and the Alumni Center will house an area describing the lives and public service of Roy and Irene Hofheinz.
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.
