It was a game that someone had to win, and the Cougars came away with their first win of the season thanks to 20-point performances from freshman forward Amanda Lawson and senior guard Roxana Button.
Both the Cougars (1-9) and the Huskies (0-10) entered the game winless.
Lawson scored 20 of her team-high 24 points in the first half as the Cougars jumped out to a 54-32 halftime lead.
Lawson finished 11-19 from the field and hauled in nine rebounds.
Button scored 22 points for UH, and went 4-6 from beyond the arc.
The Cougars excelled on the glass, an area that has proved troublesome this season, outrebounding the Huskies 43-28 and winning the offensive-rebound battle 20-4.
The Cougars changed their starting lineup, inserting sophomore center Mae Woods, who responded with nine points, six rebounds and one block in 28 minutes.
Shanice Steenholdt led all scorers with 30 points on 12-21 shooting, but the rest of the Huskies combined to shoot 10-25 from the field.
The Cougars are back in action at Washington at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18.
