Houston Falls at Louisiana Tech in Overtime

Wednesday, November 14

Ruston, La.

6:30 p.m.

University of Houston

1-2

100

Louisiana Tech

2-1

OT 1

Houston

Louisiana Tech

100

Photo by: Wilf Thorne/Wilf Thorne Photography

11/14/2018 9:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Jasmyne Harris, Serithia Hawkins pace Cougars with 20 points

RUSTON, La. – The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team fell 100-88 in overtime at Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, inside the Thomas Assembly Center, in Ruston, La.

Action started slow for Houston, with more than two minutes running off the clock before Angela Harris put the Cougars on the board for the first time in the game. However, with Louisiana Tech holding a 5-2 advantage, Houston caught a spark. After Alyssa Okoene completed an old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the game, Angela Harris scored Houston's next eight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Cougars a 13-5 advantage after the 11-0 run.

Tech would respond with a run of their own, answering the Cougars with an 8-0 surge following the game's first media timeout. The Cougars again had an answer though, finishing the quarter with seven of the final 11 points. Angela Harris buried a 3-pointer to give Houston an 18-15 lead before back-to-back buckets by Jasmyne Harris set the advantage at 22-19 after one quarter.

Houston shot 60.0 percent from the field in the first quarter, including a 3-for-6 mark from deep. In the frame, Houston forced five turnovers which led to nine points.

The Cougars blew the game open in the second quarter, starting the period on a 14-2 run. Louisiana Tech picked up the first basket of the quarter before Jasmyne Harris landed a 3-pointer on the next possession. After a pair of buckets each from Myyah West and Octavia Barnes as well as another triple from Jasmyne Harris, the Cougars raced to a 36-21 lead midway through the period.

The teams would trade buckets over the next few minutes, with Tech pulling back within 10 at 39-29 before consecutive steals from Julia Blackshell-Fair led to four straight points with a bucket from Doris Jones and a basket of her own for Blackshell-Fair. However, Louisiana Tech would close the quarter on a 7-3 run to pull within 10 at 46-36 at the half.

Houston shot an astounding 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the field in the second quarter and made all three of its 3-pointers attempted. The Cougars totaled 73.1 percent from the field in the first half and outscored the Lady Techsters 20-12 in points off turnovers.

Houston kept its foot on the gas through the first five minutes of the third quarter, extending the lead to 60-44 at the media timeout. After Tech knocked down a pair of free throws to open the quarter, Houston responded with seven straight points on a basket from Okoene, a 3-point play from Hawkins and a layup from Branch. Tech answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession, but seven-straight points from Hawkins gave the Cougars the 16-point lead.

Tech scored the next five points to cut the advantage to 11 before Octavia Barnes hits back-to-back buckets to push the lead back to 64-51. Houston would extend its advantage to 16 on the next possession, but Louisiana Tech closed the quarter on an 8-3 run to trail by 11 at the end of three.

Serithia Hawkins scored 13 points in the third quarter, as the Cougars shot 45.0 percent from the field. The Lady Techsters picked up their 3-point defense, holding the Cougars to just 12.5 percent (1-of-8) in the quarter to help climb back into the game.

Louisiana Tech kept the momentum going into the final quarter, scoring the first eight points of the frame and holding the Cougars scoreless for the first 3:52 to pull within three at 70-67. Jasmyne Harris ended the run with her third trey of the night, and Okoene followed with a free throw to give Houston a 74-70 lead at the under-5 media timeout.

Tech surged closer out of the media timeout with a bucket and two free throws before Dorian Branch pushed the lead back to three with a bucket. After Tech answered on the next possession, Houston got a layup to go from Jasmyne Harris before Kierra Anthony connected on a 3-pointer to tie the game at 78-78 and force a Houston timeout. With 11.5 seconds remaining and the game tied at 80, Louisiana Tech had a clean look at the basket, but the Cougars held and sent the game into overtime.

The teams traded buckets to open the overtime before a 7-0 run for Louisiana Tech, aided by an administrative technical foul on a substitution, gave Louisiana Tech the lead for good.

THE BASICS
Score: Louisiana Tech 100, Houston 88 (OT)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018
Location: Ruston, La. | Thomas Assembly Center

TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Houston had four players reach double figures in scoring, including team highs of 20 from Serithia Hawkins and Jasmyne Harris. Angela Harris added 13 points, while Alyssa Okoene finished with 11. Jasmyne Harris and Hawkins each paced the Cougars with seven rebounds, while Okoene and Octavia Barnes had six.

Louisiana Tech: The Lady Techsters had just two players reach double figures, however one was Kierra Anthony, who finished the game with 50 points on 17-of-29 shooting and 14-of-14 at the free throw line. Taylor Stahly was the other Techster to reach double figures with 20. Zhanae Whitney paced Tech on the glass with 10 rebounds.

NEWS AND NOTES

With three made 3-pointers in the game, junior guard Angela Harris now has 145 in her career. Harris passed Alecia Smith (143; 2010-16) and moved into a tie with Angela Curl (145; 1998-03) for fourth all-time with the effort.
With 20 points in the contest, senior Serithia Hawkins eclipsed the 900-point mark and now has 913 in her career.
Houston won the rebounding battle for the first time this season, out-boarding Louisiana Tech 41-40 including 17-16 on the offensive glass.

UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars return to action on Friday at 11:30 a.m., in a matchup at Incarnate Word. From there, Houston returns to H&PE Arena to host Boston College in a 1 p.m. tipoff on Sunday.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Season tickets for the 2018-19 season are on sale now and start at just $50 for General Admission seating and feature options for reserved seating as well.

Houston has also opened up a 4-game mini plan option beginning at $20 for General Admission seating and ranging to $30 for Priority Seating. With the mini plan, fans can choose four games from any of Houston's 13 home games throughout the 2018-19 season.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit UHCougars.com/tickets or click HERE. Fans can also reach the UH Ticket Office by phone at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647).

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.