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University of Houston Athletics
Houston Hosts Temple on Thursday Night
1/30/2019 12:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cougars tip off vs. Owls at 6 p.m., Thursday, inside the Fertitta Center
| Time | 6 p.m. • Thursday, Jan. 31 |
| Location | Fertitta Center (7,035) • Houston Doors open at 4:30 p.m. |
| Tickets | BUY Tickets |
| Parking | Parking Map & Info |
| Television | ESPN2 Richard Cross, PxP Mark Wise, analyst |
| Radio | KPRC 950 AM Pregame show begins at 5:45 p.m. Jeremy Branham, PxP Elvin Hayes, analyst |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Notes | Houston Notes Temple Notes The American Notes |
HOUSTON – The nation's first team to reach 20 wins, the University of Houston Men's Basketball program returns home to play host to American Athletic Conference rival Temple at 6 p.m., Thursday, inside the Fertitta Center in a game presented by Holiday Inn-Downtown.
With a 20-1 overall record and 7-1 mark in The American, the Cougars are off to the second-best start in program history and are tied with Cincinnati for the lead in the latest league standings.
Houston stands at No. 13 in the latest Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches' polls for the program's highest ranking since checking in at No. 5 in the final regular-season poll of the 1983-84 season.
The Cougars look to extend their 30-game home winning streak – the nation's longest active – dating back to the 2016-17 season. Houston has enjoyed a 15-0 record at home this season, including an 11-0 mark in the $60-million Fertitta Center.
TELEVISION/RADIO
• Thursday's game can be seen on ESPN2 by clicking here with Richard Cross calling the play-by-play action and Mark Wise providing analysis.
• Thursday's game can be heard on KPRC 950 AM by clicking here with Jeremy Branham calling the play-by-play action and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes providing analysis.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Under the leadership of 2018 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars continue to stand among the nation's elite defenses. Houston ranks among the nation's Top-10 leaders in field goal percentage defense (36.4, 2nd), 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.1, 2nd), scoring defense (60.2, 6th) and rebounding margin (+7.4, 9th).
Junior guard Armoni Brooks leads the Cougars with 14.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game to rank 12th in The American in both categories. The Round Rock, Texas, native is one of only two players to rank among the league's Top-12 leaders in scoring AND rebounding.
Senior point guard Galen Robinson Jr. ranks second in the league with 5.4 assists per game and is fourth with a 3.0 assist-turnover ratio. The Houston native and Westbury Christian product recently became the sixth player in Houston history with 500+ assist and stands fourth in school career history in that category.
ABOUT TEMPLE
• Temple has posted a 15-5 record in 2018-19 with a 5-2 mark in American Athletic Conference play.
• Owls stand in a tie for third with Memphis and UCF in the latest league standings.
• Temple is 5-2 in road games this season.
• Temple has alternated wins and losses in its last four games.
• In its most recent action, Temple dropped a 72-68 decision to Cincinnati on Sunday in Philadelphia.
• Against Cincinnati, sophomore forward J.P. Moorman II came off the bench to post a team-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers and four rebounds... Senior guard Shizz Alston Jr. added 18 points, thanks to four treys, with a game-high five assists, while junior guard Quinton Rose finished with four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals... Sophomore guard Nate Pierre-Louis totaled 11 points with a team-high six rebounds and two assists in the loss.
• This season, Alston leads the Owls and ranks second in The American with 18.5 points per game and adds a team-best 5.2 assists per contest... Rose stands second with 17.1 points per game, while Pierre-Louis is third with 14.0 points per contest... Senior center Ernest Aflakpui leads Temple with 7.4 rebounds per game.
• Head Coach Fran Dunphy is in his 13th season at Temple and his 30th season as a collegiate head coach.
• Dunphy has compiled a 262-157 record at Temple and is 572-320 as a collegiate head coach… Previously built a 310-163 record at Penn (1989-06).
• Dunphy is 3-6 against Houston during his career with all nine previous meetings coming during his Temple tenure.
• Dunphy has posted a 4-4 against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers with all seven previous meetings coming during their Temple and Houston tenures, respectively.
• 1970 graduate of La Salle.
BUY TICKETS
Thursday's game against Temple has SOLD OUT, the fifth sellout in the history of the Fertitta Center.
For the remaining four home games, fans can purchase mini-plans and single-game tickets online at UHCougars.com/tickets or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647).
Mini-plans start at only $40, while single-game tickets begin for as low as $12 for non-conference games and $10 for The American contests.
UP NEXT
• Following Thursday's game, the Cougars will take a week-long break from games before returning to action at 6 p.m. (CST), Feb. 7, against UCF inside CFE Arena in Orlando.
• From there, Houston returns to the Fertitta Center to play host to rv/rv Cincinnati at 3 p.m., Feb. 10.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.
Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered team apparel, a signed basketball, invitations to practice, a tour of the $25 million Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, regular updates about the program and much more.
To join the 50-50 Club, fans can call 713-743-9742 or email UHMensBasketball@uh.edu. For more information about the 50-50 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team' Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
