University of Houston
3-4
College of Charleston
2-5
Houston Cruises Past Charleston 79-63
12/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON â€" The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion with a 79-63 victory over College of Charleston on Sunday. Freshman guard Jasmyne Harris scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Cougars.
"Extremely proud of the effort," Head Coach Ronald Hughey said. "Teams have been jumping out on us. College of Charleston is outscoring people by 10 and 12 points in the first quarter. The third quarter was their drop off so we knew we had to come out and punch them as well as they were going to punch us, and it started with transition."
Action was fast paced from the start with each team shooting over 45 percent from the field in the first quarter. Junior Mariah Mitchell caught fire from behind the 3-point line, going 3-for-3 to lead Houston to a 22-20 lead after the first.
Houston extended the lead in the second quarter as the hot shooting continued throughout the first 20 minutes. Sophomore Serithia Hawkins added five points in the quarter, and finished the game with 12 points. With seven minutes remaining before the half, Charleston tied the game at 28-28, but the Cougars used a 9-4 run over the remainder of the quarter to enter the half up 37-32.
Harris caught fire in the second half scoring 14 of her 17 points in the final 20 minutes. She finished 4-of-7 from the field, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. However, it was Houston's relentless defense that kept the game out of reach. The Cougars forced 12 turnovers in each half, and scored 25 points off turnovers in the game.
THE BASICS
Score: Houston 79, College of Charleston 63
Date: Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016
Location: Houston, Texas (Hofheinz Pavilion)
TURNING POINT
With six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Breanna Bolden made a jumper to give College of Charleston the lead at 10-9. Just 12 seconds later, Hawkins hit her first 3-pointer of the season to give Houston a 12-10 lead. Over the next 35 minutes, the Cougars would not trail again.
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Along with her career-best 17 points, Harris also had a career-high four steals along with two assists and four rebounds. Including Harris, Houston had four players reach double-figures in scoring as Hawkins scored 12, while Kierra Graves and Chyanne Butler added 11 apiece. Butler also matched her career-best with six assists. On the glass, the Cougars were led by sophomore Sharayla Brown who pulled down a career-high six rebounds.
College of Charleston: The Cougars were led offensively by Tanisha Brown who scored 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field. Breanna Bolden added 14 points, while Dajah Logan scored 13. Brown completed the double pulling down 10 rebounds, while Logan just missed with nine boards.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Houston set a new team-high with 20 assists in the contest. The previous best was 17 against Southeastern Louisiana in the season opener on Nov. 13.
- Houston turned the ball over just 14 times in the game, which stands as a season low. The previous low was at UNLV on Nov. 15, when Houston turned the ball over 17 times.
- For the sixth time this season, the Cougars won on bench points, this time with a decided advantage at 30-7.
- While her 10 points was a season-high, Graves also pulled down a career-best five rebounds.
- Houston shot a season-best 45.8 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Cougars also set a season-best with nine made 3-point field goals.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston heads back on the road for their first of two matchups against Power 5 Conference teams when they meet Texas Tech in Lubbock. Tipoff against the Red Raiders on Wednesday, Dec. 7 is scheduled for 11 a.m.
PURCHASE A SHASTA PASS
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2016-17 athletic season. For just $80, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Softball home games. Fans can order a Shasta Pass by clicking .
FLOOR SEATS SEASON TICKET PACKAGE
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office also offers a Floor Seats season ticket package. For just $250, fans will have courtside access to all 14 Houston home games in 2016-17. Fans can purchase a season ticket package for Floor Seats by clicking HERE.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Single-game tickets for all 14 games inside Hofheinz Pavilion are on sale now via the Houston Athletics Ticket Office. Prices begin at just $5 for general admission seats and range up to $20 for floor seats. General admission group tickets are offered to parties of 10+ for $3 each. Single-game tickets can be purchased 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.
