Women’s Hoops Unveils 2022-23 Schedule
9/21/2022 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Cougars open season at Louisiana, open The American play in Fertitta Center against SMU
HOUSTON – The American Athletic Conference announced its 2022-23 women's basketball schedules and broadcast spots on Wednesday, shedding light on the rest of the University of Houston's schedule for its final season in The American.
Houston will start and end its conference slate at home in Fertitta Center, beginning the conference schedule with SMU (Dec. 30) and finishing the season with Wichita State (March 1). The Cougars will host conference champions UCF (Jan. 10) and runner-up South Florida (Jan. 18) in Fertitta Center.
Houston will appear on national television at least twice in 2022-23. The Cougars will be on ESPNU when they host Tulane (Jan. 29) and will be on ESPN2 when they play at South Florida (Feb. 12).
Houston never plays more than three straight games on the road and does not host three consecutive conference games at home either. The Cougars host 14 games inside Fertitta Center in 2022-23, including eight American games.
The Cougars are coming off a 7-9 record in The American in 2021-22 which ended in The American Championship semifinals. The Cougars then made a Sweet 16 run in the WNIT, topping Louisiana Tech and Tennessee Tech in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Head Coach Ronald Hughey returns five starting upperclassmen in 2022-23 including The American All-Conference Second Team selection junior guard Laila Blair. Blair led the Cougars in scoring in 2021-22 with 13.3 points per game and total assists with 81. The Houston, Texas native shot 82.2 percent from the free-throw line with 3.4 rebounds per game and 28 steals in her sophomore season.
The guard earned her second conference award after being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2020-21. The Houston native was also named American Player of the Week once in 2021-22 and was named to the Honor Roll twice.
Blair is supported by a veteran cast consisting of graduate forward Tatyana Hill and senior forward Bria Patterson, who each finished fourth and fifth on the team in scoring in 2021-22, respectively, and led the Cougars on the glass, rebounding 7.3 and 4.4 missed shots a game, respectively.
Senior guards Tiara Young and Britney Onyeje, the team's second and third leading scorers in 2021-22 also return for Houston.
Houston released its non-conference schedule in August which features a Thanksgiving Tournament in Florida and games against four Power 5 opponents.
2022-23 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The Cougars begin the 2022-23 season on the road with games at Louisiana (Nov. 7) and New Mexico (Nov. 12) before a pair of home games against Texas A&M Commerce (Nov. 15) and Florida State (Nov. 19). Although Houston and Texas A&M Commerce met in an exhibition game in 2021-22, the meeting will mark the first official matchup since 1976.
For the fourth straight year, Houston will compete away from Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament with the Cougars taking on Portland (Nov. 24) and Florida (Nov. 26) at the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Houston takes on UT Arlington (Dec. 1) for the second consecutive season, this time at home in Fertitta Center.
A trip to Manhattan, Kan., to take on future Big 12 Conference foe Kansas State (Dec. 4) will split three straight games in the city of Houston. The meeting will mark the second meeting between the Wildcats and Cougars and the first since 1977. The Cougars host UMBC (Dec. 7) before heading down I-69 to take on Rice (Dec. 10) in the first meeting between the two schools since 2015.
The Cougars wrap their away non-conference slate at Middle Tennessee (Dec. 14) before two home games in three days against UTSA (Dec. 19) and Washington State (Dec. 21).
SCHEDULE SUPERLATIVES
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the FAST BREAK CLUB
Fans are invited to join the Fast Break Club to support Houston Women's Basketball. Fast Break Club members provide financial support directly to Houston Women's Basketball for needs beyond the program's operating budget. For more information about the Fast Break Club, click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWBB or on the team's Instagram page at @UHCougarWBB.
Houston will start and end its conference slate at home in Fertitta Center, beginning the conference schedule with SMU (Dec. 30) and finishing the season with Wichita State (March 1). The Cougars will host conference champions UCF (Jan. 10) and runner-up South Florida (Jan. 18) in Fertitta Center.
Houston will appear on national television at least twice in 2022-23. The Cougars will be on ESPNU when they host Tulane (Jan. 29) and will be on ESPN2 when they play at South Florida (Feb. 12).
Houston never plays more than three straight games on the road and does not host three consecutive conference games at home either. The Cougars host 14 games inside Fertitta Center in 2022-23, including eight American games.
The Cougars are coming off a 7-9 record in The American in 2021-22 which ended in The American Championship semifinals. The Cougars then made a Sweet 16 run in the WNIT, topping Louisiana Tech and Tennessee Tech in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Head Coach Ronald Hughey returns five starting upperclassmen in 2022-23 including The American All-Conference Second Team selection junior guard Laila Blair. Blair led the Cougars in scoring in 2021-22 with 13.3 points per game and total assists with 81. The Houston, Texas native shot 82.2 percent from the free-throw line with 3.4 rebounds per game and 28 steals in her sophomore season.
The guard earned her second conference award after being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2020-21. The Houston native was also named American Player of the Week once in 2021-22 and was named to the Honor Roll twice.
Blair is supported by a veteran cast consisting of graduate forward Tatyana Hill and senior forward Bria Patterson, who each finished fourth and fifth on the team in scoring in 2021-22, respectively, and led the Cougars on the glass, rebounding 7.3 and 4.4 missed shots a game, respectively.
Senior guards Tiara Young and Britney Onyeje, the team's second and third leading scorers in 2021-22 also return for Houston.
Houston released its non-conference schedule in August which features a Thanksgiving Tournament in Florida and games against four Power 5 opponents.
2022-23 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The Cougars begin the 2022-23 season on the road with games at Louisiana (Nov. 7) and New Mexico (Nov. 12) before a pair of home games against Texas A&M Commerce (Nov. 15) and Florida State (Nov. 19). Although Houston and Texas A&M Commerce met in an exhibition game in 2021-22, the meeting will mark the first official matchup since 1976.
For the fourth straight year, Houston will compete away from Texas in a Thanksgiving tournament with the Cougars taking on Portland (Nov. 24) and Florida (Nov. 26) at the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla.Houston takes on UT Arlington (Dec. 1) for the second consecutive season, this time at home in Fertitta Center.
A trip to Manhattan, Kan., to take on future Big 12 Conference foe Kansas State (Dec. 4) will split three straight games in the city of Houston. The meeting will mark the second meeting between the Wildcats and Cougars and the first since 1977. The Cougars host UMBC (Dec. 7) before heading down I-69 to take on Rice (Dec. 10) in the first meeting between the two schools since 2015.
The Cougars wrap their away non-conference slate at Middle Tennessee (Dec. 14) before two home games in three days against UTSA (Dec. 19) and Washington State (Dec. 21).
SCHEDULE SUPERLATIVES
- Sunday games have been reduced from 18 last season to 8 in 2022-23 (4 of 8 are for national TV)
- There are two instances where the women and the men have games scheduled on the same date, down from seven the previous year
- There are no pre-Christmas conference games
- The first conference women's games are on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022
- No team plays 3 consecutive road games
- No team plays a stretch of 4 out of 5 games on the road
- Each team receives two byes
- No team faces the same team that is coming off a bye in a return game
- No team faces more than 3 opponents coming off a bye
- All teams have at least 4 home weekend dates (Friday-Sunday)
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the FAST BREAK CLUB
Fans are invited to join the Fast Break Club to support Houston Women's Basketball. Fast Break Club members provide financial support directly to Houston Women's Basketball for needs beyond the program's operating budget. For more information about the Fast Break Club, click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWBB or on the team's Instagram page at @UHCougarWBB.
– UHCougars.com –
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