Houston Rolls Past Temple 78-65

Saturday, January 12

Houston, Texas

2 p.m.

University of Houston

Temple

Houston

1/12/2019 5:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Quotes

Julia Blackshell-Fair leads five Cougars in double figures

HOUSTON – The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team won its second-straight American Athletic Conference game with a 78-65 victory over Temple on Saturday inside the Fertitta Center.

Houston grabbed the early lead on a 3-pointer from Dorian Branch, but Temple controlled most of the action in the first quarter. The Owls grabbed their first lead of the game at 6-5 on a bucket from Shantay Taylor. The Cougars would tie the game on a Myyah West free throw on the ensuing possession, however the Owls would finish the quarter on a 14-6 run to take the lead after one quarter.

Mia Davis scored 10 of the Owls' 20 first-quarter points, and Temple held Houston to just 30.8 percent shooting from the field, while shooting 66.7 percent on its own end. West and Branch led the Cougars with three points each after the first 10 minutes.

The Cougars used a pair of big runs in the second quarter to pull back into the game. After Temple extended the lead to 25-14 on a bucket from Lena Niang and a 3-pointer from Emani Mayo, Houston rattled off 12 of the next 14 points to pull within one.

Julia Blackshell-Fair and West each knocked down a pair of free throws to open the run, and after a pair from the line for Temple, Octavia Barnes buried back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 27-24, before Angela Harris added a layup draw closer.

Temple pushed the lead back to four on the next possession when Desiree Oliver landed a 3-pointer of her own, however the Cougars used an 8-0 spurt over the next 1:32 to reclaim the lead. Myyah West opened the streak with a free throw before Barnes dropped her third 3-pointer of the quarter to tie the game. Dorian Branch and Barnes would close the half with back-to-back buckets before Temple cut the lead back to one at 34-33 at the half.

Octavia Barnes scored all 11 of her points in the second quarter and finished 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point line in the period. The Cougars shot 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from the field in the period including 3-of-5 (60.0 percent) from beyond the 3-point line.

Each team used big runs to open the second half, with the Cougars striking first to extend the lead, and Temple responding to pull back. The Cougars scored the first seven points of the frame on three-straight points from Serithia Hawkins and buckets from Harris and Branch. However, with the score sitting at 41-33 Houston, Temple picked up buckets on three-consecutive possession from Davis (back-to-back) and Taylor to cut the deficit back to two.

The Cougars would have one more spurt in the third quarter, scoring 11 of the next 12 points thanks to four each from Blackshell-Fair and Dymond Gladney and another three from Tatyana Hill. However, Temple was again able to answer the Cougars, scoring the final five points of the period to pull within one at 56-55 after three.

Houston would take over completely in the fourth quarter, holding the Owls to just 10 points in the period. Temple pulled even at 58 with a 3-pointer from Alliya Butts early in the quarter, but the Cougars claimed 12 of the next 13 points to blow the game open. West and Blackshell-Fair led the Cougars on a 9-0 run with five points from West and four from Blackshell-Fair to take a 67-58 lead.

After an Owl free throw, Houston pushed the lead to 11 on another bucket from Blackshell-Fair and a free throw from Branch. Temple had one final run to cut the deficit back to seven at 72-65 with one minute to play, however they would not score again, and the Cougars claimed the victory 78-65.

THE BASICS
Score: Houston 78, Temple 65
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2019
Location: Houston, Texas | Fertitta Center

TOP PERFORMERS
Houston: The Cougars saw five players reach double figures in scoring, including a team-high 15 from Julia Blackshell-Fair. Octavia Barnes, Dorian Branch and Myyah West added 11 points apiece, while Angela Harris finished with 10. Harris led the Cougars on the glass with seven rebounds.

Temple: The Owls had two players reach double figures in the game. Mia Davis led all scorers with 19 points, while Alliya Butts added 16. Temple saw Shantay Taylor and Breanna Perry tie for the team lead in rebounding with five each.

NEWS AND NOTES

Houston won its second-consecutive game against Temple after dropping the first eight all-time matchups in the series.
The Cougars outrebounded the Owls 37-29. The 29 rebounds for Temple are a season-low for a Houston opponent. The Cougars won the offensive rebound battle 14-8, leading to a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.
The Cougars also held advantages in points off turnovers (19-18), points in the paint (34-28), fast-break points (24-11) and bench points (27-16).

UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston has a week off from competition before hitting the road for a 2-game American Athletic Conference road swing. The Cougars meet Wichita State on Sunday, Jan. 20 before traveling to Cincinnati for a midweek game on Wednesday, Jan. 23.

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.