University of Houston Athletics
Thursday, March 21
Fayetteville, Ark.
7 p.m.
University of Houston
at
Arkansas
Houston Opens WNIT at Arkansas
3/20/2019 5:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Cougars set to face former Southwest Conference foe in Fayetteville
HOUSTON – The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team continues its season with a Women's National Invitation Tournament First Round matchup with Arkansas. The Cougars and Razorbacks will face off at 7 p.m. in Fayetteville, Ark.
The game will be aired on SECN+ and fans can hear the contest against the Razorbacks live via the home for Houston Women's Basketball Radio, UHCougars.com/wbbradio. Live statistics are also available through SideArm Stats, and the official Twitter account of Houston Women's Basketball, @UHCougarWBB, will offer updates throughout the game.
The full WNIT Bracket can be accessed by clicking HERE.
THE STARTING FIVE
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines you need to know about Thursday's WNIT game against Arkansas:
BACK TO BACK – The Cougars continued to make strides under Head Coach Ronald Hughey, making its second WNIT appearance in as many seasons.
RENEWED RIVALRY – The Cougars will face former Southwest Conference foe Arkansas in a sreies dating back to 1979. The game will also feature a reunion between the Cougars and former Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek.
FROM DOWNTOWN – The Cougars continue to be a 3-point threat under Hughey. After setting the school record for 3-pointers made in each of the last two seasons, Houston has made 218 triples so far in 2018-19.
SCORE OFTEN, SCORE FAST – Houston is a tough team offensively, currently ranking second in the conference in scoring offense with 67.8 ppg, only second to UConn.
H-TOWN LOCKDOWN – Houston continues to play lockdown defense this season. The Cougars have forced at least 15 turnovers in 25 of its 30 games and their 19.67 forced per game ranks 32nd nationally.
SERIES vs. ARKANSAS
Thursday's meeting is the 22nd all-time between the two teams in a series that dates back to 1979 and the Southwest Conference.
Houston trails 8-14 in the all-time in the series, defeating the Razorbacks in the last meeting between the two programs in 1991 in a 78-61.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Houston enters Thursday's game with a 15-15 overall record and a 9-7 mark in American Athletic Conference play. Houston's nine conference wins match the programs most wins in conference play since joining The American.
Houston's Jasmyne Harris paces the Cougars in points per game with 16.2 per contest, while Dorian Branch also scores in double figures at 10.6 per night. Branch scored a career-high 21 points against ECU and has posted double-figures in six of the last seven contests. Octavia Barnes has scored at least one three-pointer in the last 21 games for the Cougars, posting double-figures in five of the last six contests and a career-high 24 points against Tulane.
Houston is averaging 67.8 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting from the field and a 30.1 percent mark from beyond the 3-point line. The Cougars allow 67.8 points per game on defense while letting opponents shoot 41.8 percent and 31.5 percent from the field and beyond the arc, respectively.
Serithia Hawkins leads Houston on the glass, pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game after matching a season-high with back-to-back games of 12 against Wichita State and Cincinnati. She recently became the fourth Cougar in program history to score 1,000 points and pull down 900 rebounds. Hawkins became the program's all-time leader in offensive rebounds with 360 for her career in The American Championship quarterfinals.
Houston has been one of the most active defensive teams in the country this season, its 19.67 turnover forced per game places them 32nd nationally and third in The American. The Cougars rank 55th in the nation in steals after collecting 284 this season, while their 9.5 steals per game ranks 54th in the NCAA.
SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
Arkansas enters Thursday's contest with an 20-14 overall record, a 6-10 mark in SEC play. Arkansas defeated Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas A&M in the SEC tournament before falling to champion Mississippi State.
Arkansas has three players averaging double figures in scoring this season, Chelsea Dungee paces the Razorbacks with 20.2 points per game to lead the team, Malica Monk is second on the team with 12.4 points per game.
Arkansas is allowing opponents to score 69.7 points per game, allowing 41.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent from long-range.
WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT TICKETS
Tickets for the WNIT First-Round are on sale and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
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.
--UHCougars.com--
The game will be aired on SECN+ and fans can hear the contest against the Razorbacks live via the home for Houston Women's Basketball Radio, UHCougars.com/wbbradio. Live statistics are also available through SideArm Stats, and the official Twitter account of Houston Women's Basketball, @UHCougarWBB, will offer updates throughout the game.
The full WNIT Bracket can be accessed by clicking HERE.
THE STARTING FIVE
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines you need to know about Thursday's WNIT game against Arkansas:
BACK TO BACK – The Cougars continued to make strides under Head Coach Ronald Hughey, making its second WNIT appearance in as many seasons.
RENEWED RIVALRY – The Cougars will face former Southwest Conference foe Arkansas in a sreies dating back to 1979. The game will also feature a reunion between the Cougars and former Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek.
FROM DOWNTOWN – The Cougars continue to be a 3-point threat under Hughey. After setting the school record for 3-pointers made in each of the last two seasons, Houston has made 218 triples so far in 2018-19.
SCORE OFTEN, SCORE FAST – Houston is a tough team offensively, currently ranking second in the conference in scoring offense with 67.8 ppg, only second to UConn.
H-TOWN LOCKDOWN – Houston continues to play lockdown defense this season. The Cougars have forced at least 15 turnovers in 25 of its 30 games and their 19.67 forced per game ranks 32nd nationally.
SERIES vs. ARKANSAS
Thursday's meeting is the 22nd all-time between the two teams in a series that dates back to 1979 and the Southwest Conference.
Houston trails 8-14 in the all-time in the series, defeating the Razorbacks in the last meeting between the two programs in 1991 in a 78-61.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Houston enters Thursday's game with a 15-15 overall record and a 9-7 mark in American Athletic Conference play. Houston's nine conference wins match the programs most wins in conference play since joining The American.
Houston's Jasmyne Harris paces the Cougars in points per game with 16.2 per contest, while Dorian Branch also scores in double figures at 10.6 per night. Branch scored a career-high 21 points against ECU and has posted double-figures in six of the last seven contests. Octavia Barnes has scored at least one three-pointer in the last 21 games for the Cougars, posting double-figures in five of the last six contests and a career-high 24 points against Tulane.
Houston is averaging 67.8 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting from the field and a 30.1 percent mark from beyond the 3-point line. The Cougars allow 67.8 points per game on defense while letting opponents shoot 41.8 percent and 31.5 percent from the field and beyond the arc, respectively.
Serithia Hawkins leads Houston on the glass, pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game after matching a season-high with back-to-back games of 12 against Wichita State and Cincinnati. She recently became the fourth Cougar in program history to score 1,000 points and pull down 900 rebounds. Hawkins became the program's all-time leader in offensive rebounds with 360 for her career in The American Championship quarterfinals.
Houston has been one of the most active defensive teams in the country this season, its 19.67 turnover forced per game places them 32nd nationally and third in The American. The Cougars rank 55th in the nation in steals after collecting 284 this season, while their 9.5 steals per game ranks 54th in the NCAA.
SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
Arkansas enters Thursday's contest with an 20-14 overall record, a 6-10 mark in SEC play. Arkansas defeated Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas A&M in the SEC tournament before falling to champion Mississippi State.
Arkansas has three players averaging double figures in scoring this season, Chelsea Dungee paces the Razorbacks with 20.2 points per game to lead the team, Malica Monk is second on the team with 12.4 points per game.
Arkansas is allowing opponents to score 69.7 points per game, allowing 41.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent from long-range.
WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT TICKETS
Tickets for the WNIT First-Round are on sale and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
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.
--UHCougars.com--
Players Mentioned
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