Houston Drops Overtime Thriller in WNIT First Round

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –The Houston Cougars Women's basketball team fell in overtime, 88-80 to Arkansas in the opening round of the Women's National Invitatation Tournament Thursday evening at Bud Walton Arena.

Behind a team-high 19 points from Octavia Barnes and double-digit scoring efforts from Angela Harris, Dorian Branch, Serithia Hawkins, Tatyana Hill and Julia Blackshell-Fair the Cougars close their season at 15-16 overall and 9-7 in the American Athletic Conference.

Houston got off to a good start, keeping things close with the Razorbacks who made their first appearance in the SEC Championship just two weeks ago. Harris got off to a good start offensively, scoring the first five points for Houston. Six different Cougars would chip in early on, leading to the Cougars trailing by two at the start of the second quarter.

Houston was able to pound Arkansas in he paint, taking its first lead of the contest halfway through the second quarter. The Cougars would take advantage down low and grab four more rebounds than the Razorbacks, outscoring Arkansas in second-chance points 10-0 at the break. Both teams would head into halftime tied 36-36.

Barnes would be the difference-maker in the third quarter, scoring nine of her 19 total points in the third frame. Arkansas would outscore Houston 20-22 in the frame to take a 58-56 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Hill made her presence well-known in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, sinking back-to-back buckets and hitting a freethrow to set the tone. Branch and Blackshell-Fair would play a major role in the fourth frame, combining for 10 points. Houston would take a two-point lead with under two minutes to play and Arkansas would draw a foul with 19 seconds remaining and tie the contest by hitting a pair of freethrows. A missed three-point attempt on the Cougar end of the floor would results in Houston heading into its seventh overtime contest of the season.

The Cougars would get outscored 15-7 in the overtime period, unable to counter a 5-0 run from the Razorbacks early on in the period. Houston would ultimately fall to Arkansas 88-80.

THE BASICS
Score: Houston 80, Arkansas 88
Date: Thursday, March 21, 2019
Location: Fayetteville, Ark. | Bud Walton Arena

TOP PERFORMERS
HOUSTON: The Cougars saw six players reach double figures in scoring, Barnes led the team with 19 points, Harris added 16, Blackshell-Fair added 15, Branch, Hawkins and Hill each recorded 10. Serithia Hawkins led the team in rebounds with eight and Barnes led the team in assists, with four. Barnes will close out her Houston career having hit at least one three-pointer in the last 22 games. Barnes will leave Houston with thr third-most three-pointers made in a single season at Houston with 56, followed by Branch in fourth-place with 51 and Harris in fifth-place with 49. Houston closes the season with 225 made three-pointers the second-most in single-season history at Houston.

ARKANSAS: Arkansas finished the game with three players in double figures. Chelsea Dungee led all scoreres with 37 points. Kiara Williams led the Razorbacks on the boards with eight rebounds and Malica Monk finished with two assists.

NEWS AND NOTES

Houston concludes its season at 15-16 on the season and 9-7 in conference play. The 15 wins are the second-most under Head Coach Ronald Hughey.
Arkansas held an advantage in freethrows attempting 19 more than the Cougars and hitting 17 more.
The Cougars forced 18 Arkansas turnovers for its 26 game this season with at least 15 forced turnovers.
Houston outscore Arkansas 20-6 in second chance points, 42-40 in the paint, and 17-15 off turnovers.

STAY CONNECTED
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--UHCougars.com--

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