With UTEP chipping away at the Cougars’ lead, UH guard Porsche Landry played firefighter by dousing the Miners’ run with two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions with five minutes remaining, putting the Cougars ahead by eight and sealing a 70-62 victory.
The Cougars improved to 4-0 in Conference USA, 13-4 overall, and now share first place in the conference with Tulane (14-2, 4-0 C-USA).
Landry finished with 12 points and four assists and was one of four Cougars to score in double figures. Courtney Taylor scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season and 51st of her career. Brittney Scott added 15 points and Lesslee Mason chipped in with 12 points.
The Miners (10-6, 2-2 Conference USA) trailed the Cougars by two at halftime, but were able to force UTEP into committing 15 second-half turnovers, 23 for the game. The Cougars only turned the ball over 14 times and were also able to best the Miners at the free throw line by hitting 18-of-21 attempts from the charity stripe.
Head coach Todd Buchanan talked before the season about his desire for the Cougars to play a more up-tempo style. The Cougars lead C-USA with 74.5 points per game, while outscoring their opponents by an average of 7.8 points per game. The Cougars have scored 70 or more points in 15 of their last 17 contests.
Veterans leading the way
The trio of Landry (14.7), Scott (15.6) and Taylor (16.1) all reside in the top six in individual scoring, and are easily the highest scoring trio in the conference.
The Cougars will look to extend their four-game winning streak when they face UAB (9-8, 1-3 C-USA) at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. on Thursday at 7 p.m. In its last contest, UAB topped Memphis 65-58.
