-/RV Houston’s Comeback Falls Just Shy at 24/RV Cal

Berkeley, Calif. – The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team saw a valiant comeback effort fall just short, falling to 24/RV Cal 80-79 in the 2018-19 season opener on Tuesday.

The first five minutes were a defensive struggle that saw Cal grab an early 6-0 lead before redshirt sophomore Alyssa Okoene scored her first basket with the Cougars to stop the run. After the Golden Bears extended their lead to 10-3 just moments later, Houston rattled off seven-straight points to pull even at 10. Junior Dorian Branch opened the run with a 3-pointer, before senior Serithia Hawkins and junior Jasmyne Harris added their first buckets of the season.

Houston closed the quarter on a 16-9 run and held a 16-15 advantage after the first 10 minutes. The Cougars forced the Bears to turn the ball over seven times in the period and out-shot Cal 37.5 percent to 26.7 percent from the field in the frame.

Senior Octavia Barnes and junior-transfer Doris Jones took the Cougars on a 5-2 run to open the second quarter, capped by Jones' old-fashioned 3-point play for her first points at Houston. However, Cal would follow with an 8-2 run of their own over the middle of the period to claim a 25-23 advantage with 2:23 to play in the half.

The teams would trade runs over the final two minutes of the second quarter, and Cal held a 29-26 advantage with time winding down. Houston would respond however, with a bucket from Okoene to pull within one, before Branch would go coast-to-coast to beat the buzzer and give Houston a 30-29 lead at the half.

Cal built what was at the time, the largest lead of the game in the third quarter, when Bears center Kristine Anigwe took over. After missing the majority of the first half due to foul trouble, Anigwe scored 21 of Cal's first 24 points in the third quarter to push the lead to 53-44 with 1:29 remaining in the period.

Cal would extend their lead to 12 with under a minute to play, before freshman Tatyana Hill grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back for her first career bucket to stop the run. After a pair of free throws pushed Cal's lead back to 12, Hawkins got a shot to go at the buzzer to cut the lead to 58-48 at the end of three.

Houston and Cal traded buckets throughout the first half of the fourth quarter, but they Cougars couldn't cut into the Bears' lead. Early in the frame, the Cougars reeled off four straight points from Serithia Hawkins and Jasmyne Harris, but the Bears would answer with an 11-7 run of their own to extend the lead back to 10 at the media timeout.

Following the media timeout, Houston began a furious comeback that spanned the remainder of the period. Jasmyne Harris started the run with a bucket to cut the lead back to single digits, and after a Cal bucket, would score Houston's next five points off a 3-pointer followed by two free throws resulting from a technical foul called on Cal Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

Cal would push their lead back to seven over the following minutes, however Houston would have one final push. After Angela Harris buried a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 78-74, the Cougars followed with a stop and three free throws from Jasmyne Harris, after she was fouled beyond the arc, to cut the lead to one. Cal would connect on two free throws with 10.3 seconds remaining, and the Cougars saw Jasmyne Harris get a great look at a three, that just rimmed out, and despite a Hill putback, the Cougars fell 80-79.

THE BASICS
Score: No. 24/RV Cal 80, -/RV Houston 79
Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Location: Berkeley, Calif. | Haas Pavilion

TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Houston had four players reach double figures in scoring, including a team-high 17 from Jasmyne Harris. Angela Harris and Serithia Hawkins each added 12 points, while Dorian Branch finished with 10. Branch also led a balanced Cougar rebounding effort with five boards.

Cal: Nearly half of Cal's scoring came from Kristine Anigwe, who tallied a double-double with 37 points and 13 rebounds. Asha Thomas and Jaelyn Brown each reached double figures in scoring with 10 points apiece.

NEWS AND NOTES

Houston picked up with where they left off a year ago, forcing Cal to turn the ball over 21 times in the contest.
The Cougars played great perimeter defense in the contest, holding the Bears to 2-of-16 (12.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
With 17 points in the contest, junior guard Jasmyne Harris now has 977 in her career as she inches closer to becoming Houston's 24^th 1,000-point scorer in program history.
Despite Kristine Anigwe's big night, Houston outscored the bears 46-38 on points in the paint.
Houston's bench also outscored Cal, 34-16.
Freshmen Dymond Gladney and Tatyana Hill, as well as junior Doris Jones and sophomore Alyssa Okoene, made their Houston debuts on Tuesday. The newcomers contributed 16 points and six boards in the effort.

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. 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.

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