Houston Cruises to Season Opening Victory Over Air Force

HOUSTON – Five University of Houston Women's Basketball student-athletes posted double-digit points en route to a 99-61 victory over Air Force inside Fertitta Center on Friday night.

Senior guard Laila Blair paced the team with 26 points and seven rebounds followed by graduate guard Britney Onyeje with 15 points, going 5-of-7 from deep. Graduate forward Bria Patterson knocked down 12 points, going 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. Graduate guard N'Yah Boyd chipped in 11 points in her Houston debut after transferring from UTEP.

In a standout debut, freshman guard Kierra Merchant made a lasting impact, contributing 13 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter.

While the Cougars offense got off to a slow start, the tempo quickly turned as Houston took a lead at the 6:34 mark that they would never relinquish. Blair, Boyd, Patterson and Maliyah Johnson propelled the Cougars to a 23-13 lead while Merchant made her debut, scoring six of her 13 points in the first quarter.

Houston scored 22 points in the second quarter, spearheaded by Blair's 13-point performance as Patterson tallied seven points to give the Cougars a 45-28 lead at the half.

Air Force trimmed Houston's lead to 11 points to open the third; however Houston rallied for an 8-0 run powered by three points apiece from Blair and Boyd to push the lead back to 19. The Cougars continued to cruise as Merchant's buzzer-beater extended Houston's lead to 26 at the end of the third.

In a dazzling display of defense during the final quarter, the Cougars dominated with a 13-1 run to seal the victory for their eighth-straight home-opener victory.

The 38-point margin of victory marked Houston's largest win in a season opener since the 2010-11 season, when the Cougars earned an 88-48 victory against UT Arlington (Nov. 14, 2010).

UP NEXT
Houston remains at home as it welcomes Sam Houston at 7 p.m., Tuesday for Student Night where current University of Houston students will receive free boba while supplies last and will be eligible to enter a raffle for select prizes throughout the game.

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