Friday, December 21
Fairfax, Va.
3 p.m.
University of Houston
66
at
56
George Mason
Houston Rolls Over George Mason, 66-56
12/21/2018 6:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Julia Blackshell-Fair’s career-high 17 points leads Cougars to road win
Fairfax, Va. – The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team opened its two-game road trip with a 66-56 victory over George Mason on Friday inside EagleBank Arena.
Houston grabbed eight of the contest's first 10 points, including a 3-pointer on the Cougars' first possession from Angela Harris, who eclipsed the 900-point mark with the bucket. Jasmyne Harris would follow with a fast-break layup before George Mason picked up their first bucket, and the Cougars capped the opening spurt with a 3-pointer from Octavia Barnes to take an 8-2 lead.
George Mason would respond however with a 12-0 run of their own to claim their first lead and push it to 14-8 at the under-5 media timeout. Nicole Cardano-Hillary started the run with her first basket of the game before Sarah Kaminski knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give George Mason a 10-8 advantage.
Houston would control the waning minutes of the first period, finishing the quarter with eight-straight points from Julia Blackshell-Fair to cut the lead to 18-16 after one.
The pace of the game slowed tremendously in the second quarter, with just seven combined points being scored over the first five minutes. Alyssa Okoene opened the quarter with an offensive rebound and a putback before Barnes followed a Mason basket with her second triple of the night to reclaim the lead at 21-20.
Houston would spark a run following the media timeout with five-straight points from Jasmyne Harris to push the lead to 26-21. Despite the Cougars holding George Mason scoreless for 4:12 over the middle part of the period, the Patriots had one final run to end the half. Mason closed the quarter on a 13-1 run including, including a 9-0 burst, thanks to five points from Alexsis Grate to take a 33-27 lead into the intermission.
The Patriots held the Cougars to just 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from the field in the second quarter while holding them scoreless for the final 3:13 of the period.
Houston took complete control in the third quarter. Following a George Mason free throw to open the frame, Houston answered with an 11-0 run to regain the lead. Jasmyne Harris started the spurt with a 3-pointer before buckets from Serithia Hawkins and Barnes and a pair of Dorian Branch free throws gave the Cougars a 38-34 advantage.
Mason would not score their first bucket of the half until the 5:41 mark, and the teams would trade baskets over the remainder of the quarter, but Houston closed it on a 6-2 run to take a 50-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
Houston used a 15-4 advantage on the glass and a 9-0 advantage in second chance points over the third quarter to outscore George Mason 23-11 and regain the lead.
Houston kept the momentum going into the fourth quarter, grabbing eight of the first 10 points of the frame. After a pair of Mason free throws, Jasmyne Harris buried a 3-pointer from deep, which Okoene followed with an offensive board and a putback, before Harris dropped another triple to push the lead to 58-46 and force a George Mason timeout.
George Mason would use 4-0 runs twice over the remainder of the game to cut the lead back to eight, but they would never pull any closer. With the score at 62-54 with just over a minute to play, Okoene knocked down a pair of free throws before Blackshell-Fair picked up a steal and a fast-break layup the other way to seal the game 66-56.
THE BASICS
Score: Houston 66, George Mason 56
Date: Friday, December 21, 2018
Location: Fairfax, Va. | EagleBank Arena
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Houston had a pair of scorers reach double-figures, including a career-best and game-high 17 from Julia Blackshell-Fair. Jasmyne Harris also finished in double-figures with 16 points. On the glass, Houston picked up a huge night from Alyssa Okoene who pulled down 12 rebounds for her fourth career double-digit rebounding game.
George Mason: The Patriots saw Jacy Bolton lead three scorers in double-figures with her team high 15 points, while Alexsis Grate and Nicole Cardano-Hillary each finished with 10 points. Jewel Triggs led George Mason on the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds.
NEWS AND NOTES
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston closes out 2018 and the non-conference portion of its schedule with a road game at Southern Miss on Dec. 30, in Hattiesburg, Miss.
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.
Houston grabbed eight of the contest's first 10 points, including a 3-pointer on the Cougars' first possession from Angela Harris, who eclipsed the 900-point mark with the bucket. Jasmyne Harris would follow with a fast-break layup before George Mason picked up their first bucket, and the Cougars capped the opening spurt with a 3-pointer from Octavia Barnes to take an 8-2 lead.
George Mason would respond however with a 12-0 run of their own to claim their first lead and push it to 14-8 at the under-5 media timeout. Nicole Cardano-Hillary started the run with her first basket of the game before Sarah Kaminski knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give George Mason a 10-8 advantage.
Houston would control the waning minutes of the first period, finishing the quarter with eight-straight points from Julia Blackshell-Fair to cut the lead to 18-16 after one.
The pace of the game slowed tremendously in the second quarter, with just seven combined points being scored over the first five minutes. Alyssa Okoene opened the quarter with an offensive rebound and a putback before Barnes followed a Mason basket with her second triple of the night to reclaim the lead at 21-20.
Houston would spark a run following the media timeout with five-straight points from Jasmyne Harris to push the lead to 26-21. Despite the Cougars holding George Mason scoreless for 4:12 over the middle part of the period, the Patriots had one final run to end the half. Mason closed the quarter on a 13-1 run including, including a 9-0 burst, thanks to five points from Alexsis Grate to take a 33-27 lead into the intermission.
The Patriots held the Cougars to just 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from the field in the second quarter while holding them scoreless for the final 3:13 of the period.
Houston took complete control in the third quarter. Following a George Mason free throw to open the frame, Houston answered with an 11-0 run to regain the lead. Jasmyne Harris started the spurt with a 3-pointer before buckets from Serithia Hawkins and Barnes and a pair of Dorian Branch free throws gave the Cougars a 38-34 advantage.
Mason would not score their first bucket of the half until the 5:41 mark, and the teams would trade baskets over the remainder of the quarter, but Houston closed it on a 6-2 run to take a 50-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
Houston used a 15-4 advantage on the glass and a 9-0 advantage in second chance points over the third quarter to outscore George Mason 23-11 and regain the lead.
Houston kept the momentum going into the fourth quarter, grabbing eight of the first 10 points of the frame. After a pair of Mason free throws, Jasmyne Harris buried a 3-pointer from deep, which Okoene followed with an offensive board and a putback, before Harris dropped another triple to push the lead to 58-46 and force a George Mason timeout.
George Mason would use 4-0 runs twice over the remainder of the game to cut the lead back to eight, but they would never pull any closer. With the score at 62-54 with just over a minute to play, Okoene knocked down a pair of free throws before Blackshell-Fair picked up a steal and a fast-break layup the other way to seal the game 66-56.
THE BASICS
Score: Houston 66, George Mason 56
Date: Friday, December 21, 2018
Location: Fairfax, Va. | EagleBank Arena
TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: Houston had a pair of scorers reach double-figures, including a career-best and game-high 17 from Julia Blackshell-Fair. Jasmyne Harris also finished in double-figures with 16 points. On the glass, Houston picked up a huge night from Alyssa Okoene who pulled down 12 rebounds for her fourth career double-digit rebounding game.
George Mason: The Patriots saw Jacy Bolton lead three scorers in double-figures with her team high 15 points, while Alexsis Grate and Nicole Cardano-Hillary each finished with 10 points. Jewel Triggs led George Mason on the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds.
NEWS AND NOTES
- With two free throws made in the contest, junior Jasmyne Harris moved to 18th all-time at Houston with 204. Harris passed Kiemona Harris (203; 2001-05) in the effort.
- With eight rebounds in the contest, Serithia Hawkins became the sixth player in Houston history to grab 800 rebounds in her career.
- Houston reached the 50-rebound plateau for the second-consecutive game and outrebounded the Patriots 50-38.
- On the offensive glass, Houston held a 22-14 advantage which led to an 18-13 advantage in second-chance points.
- Houston received tremendous production from the bench in the contest, outscoring the George Mason reserves 33-16.
- The Cougars forced 20 turnovers in the contest, leading to 19 points off turnovers.
- Jasmyne Harris finished the contest with four assists, giving her 226 in her career and moving her into a tie for 19th all-time at Houston with Jennifer Jones (1994-98).
- Serithia Hawkins swatted one shot against the Patriots, giving her 53 blocks in her career and moving her into a tie for 23rd all-time at Houston with Marche' Amerson (2012-16).
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston closes out 2018 and the non-conference portion of its schedule with a road game at Southern Miss on Dec. 30, in Hattiesburg, Miss.
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.
Players Mentioned
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