Senior forward Tatyana Hill surpassed 1,000 career points in the Cougars conference opening victory over SMU on Friday. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar
The Houston women’s basketball team opened up its conference schedule with a 60-44 victory over in-state rivals SMU on Friday at Fertitta Center.
The Cougars now improve to 4-10 overall on the season as the victory propels them to a 1-0 start in conference play for the second consecutive season.
Senior forward Tatyana Hill reached a milestone 1,000 career points in the victory after sitting three points away prior to the game.
UH opened up the game with a strong defensive presence, limiting SMU to just six points in the first quarter.
The full and half court press aided the Cougars and contributed to moving the ball up the court on offense as UH had the upper hand leading 13-6 after the first quarter.
A tight second quarter saw the Cougars create some distance as it took its first double digit led of the night and went to halftime up 31-21.
Despite being out-rebounded on the night, UH made the most of its opportunities and strung together several runs to lead 50-29 heading into the fourth.
SMU’s late comeback bid saw the Mustangs cut the deficit to under 15 points, but came up short as UH held on to close out the game in dominant fashion for the Cougars third double digit win of the season.
The Cougars remained a strong defensive team throughout the night, outscoring the Mustangs in each of the first three quarters.
Graduate guard Laila Blair led the Cougars in scoring, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and picking up 18 points along with three assists.
The Cougars never trailed throughout the night, boosted by performances from senior guard Tiara Young, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds, as well as Hill, who had both nine points and nine rebounds.
The Cougars, who have won two of their last three after starting off the season 2-9, look to build momentum in the new year as they continue conference play on the road at Tulane on Jan. 5 at 6 p.m.
