Sophomore guard Laila Blair scored 11 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists in UH’s victory over Wichita State to open up AAC play on Wednesday evening. | Courtesy of Sean Marty and The Sunflower
The UH women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to five games with a 66-61 victory against Wichita State on the road on Wednesday.
Both teams got off to a slow start to open the first quarter as the Cougars led 5-3 at the six-minute mark.
The Shockers hopped on a 12-2 run to take the lead at 15-7 before sophomore guard Laila Blair’s 3-pointer flipped all momentum and sparked a 9-0 run to end the quarter with a 16-15 lead for the Cougars.
Blair ended the first quarter with nine points while senior forward Fatou Diagne picked up five rebounds.
The second quarter saw a more competitive period offensively as both teams traded scores with UH’s largest lead coming at 27-23.
A 3-pointer by Wichita State gave the Shockers the lead late in the second quarter as they led the Cougars 32-31 at halftime.
The Shockers outrebounded the Cougars 24-18 in the first half while shooting 50 percent from behind the arc.
Blair was held scoreless in the second quarter but still led the Cougars in scoring at nine points.
In the third quarter, the Shockers held on to the lead before five lead changes in the next three minutes led to an even score at 44-44.
Senior forward Kamryn Jones hit a shot late in the quarter to take the lead. Then, Wichita State responded with a 3-pointer to take a 47-46 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Jones led all scorers at the end of the third quarter with 11 points while also picking up three rebounds and two assists.
The Shockers rode a 5-2 run to start the fourth quarter but failed to capitalize on several offensive rebounds and opportunities, allowing UH women’s basketball to keep the deficit at 52-48.
A few clutch buckets down the stretch sparked a 10-0 run by the Cougars with three minutes remaining in the game.
A 3-pointer by senior guard Dymond Gladney put the dagger in the game as the Cougars never looked back and held on to win the game.
Junior guard Britney Onyeje led the Cougars in scoring with 12 points with six rebounds and three assists while graduate forward Fatou Diagne recorded 10 rebounds and eight points.
Jones and Blair both finished with 11 points each.
