UH women’s basketball guard Eryka Sidney, who scored five points against Tulane, attacks Wichita State guard Seraphine Bastin on Dec. 30, 2020 at Fertitta Center. | Andy Yanez/The Cougar
After a tough loss to UCF at home, the Houston women’s basketball team bounced back and was victorious in the rematch against Tulane on the road, taking the game 71-64.
The Cougars (9-5, 6-4 American Athletic Conference) came out with different energy compared to their last matchup with the Green Wave.
UH got on the board with a deep 3-pointer and two free throws from sophomore guard Miya Crump, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, followed by another long-distance shot from sophomore guard Britney Onyeje, paired with a fast-break layup.
Onyeje was also one of three Cougars to finish in the double digits with 10 points.
On defense, UH kept applying pressure and blocking out to create more and more opportunities for easy buckets on the other side of the court. The Cougars led 12-2 in the first quarter and went on the first of many runs throughout the game.
Tulane quickly responded with shots falling in. The Green Wave’s 10-0 run tied the game at 12 in the opening frame.
Tulane regained the lead but the game stayed within six.
UH capitalized on Green Wave turnovers and fouls to get back on top by one, highlighted by its own 7-0 run.
But again, Tulane had another offensive surge to take a five-point lead, which was cut to two by another 3-pointer from Onyeje.
A last-second layup from the Green Wave put them up 34-30 at halftime.
The teams took turns scoring as the second half began, but Tulane pulled away to lead by eight.
The Cougars kept fighting as Onyeje pulled down a rebound and passed to junior guard Dymond Gladney for two, followed by a layup from junior forward Tatyana Hill.
A three from Crump and a layup from freshman guard Laila Blair, who tallied 14 points and five rebounds, gave UH the momentum to take the lead near the end of the third period, but the Green Wave halted the Cougars’ run to lead by four.
After taking advantage of the free-throw line, UH trailed by one going into the final quarter.
Right away, Tulane put up a second-chance shot for a three-point edge but the Cougars responded with a fast-break layup from Crump.
The fourth frame remained close as UH stayed right under the Green Wave, but after drawing the foul, Gladney knocked down the free throws to put the Cougars up by one with just over six minutes left.
More free throws, this time from freshman forward Kamryn Jones, gave UH a lead of two. The Cougars kept it going with another 3-pointer from Onyeje to stay in front 58-53.
From there, the UH women’s basketball team went on to out-hustle Tulane, getting steals and exploiting the Green Wave’s turnover troubles.
Tulane moved its center to block The Cougars’ inbounder, which led to Green Wave steals and buckets to make it a three-point game with 40 seconds left. However, it was not enough to reverse the damage as UH ran away with the seven-point win.
