Porsche Landry is the Cougars’ all-time leader in assists. | The Daily Cougar/ File photo

For Porsche Landry, the attributes that led to success on the court might benefit the redshirt senior guard when her playing days are finished. Although Landry’s illustrious UH career is finished, she has future aspirations that match her character.

“I’d love to continue and keep playing, whether it’s the WNBA or overseas. I also have a plan B and other dreams if basketball doesn’t work out,” Landry said. “I actually want to be a firefighter. I’m real physical, and I like to stay active. I can’t stay behind a desk or anything like that.”

“Firefighter or police officer — I’d love to do both. My uncle is a police officer, and I think he would serve as a good mentor,” she said.

After she checked out of the Cougars’ loss in opening round of the Conference USA tournament with 51 seconds remaining, Landry embraced her head coach before heading toward the bench — similar to how she did after her final home game, but with one difference: Landry had played her final game for head coach Todd Buchanan as a Cougar on Wednesday.

Buchanan said he was very thankful for what Landry has done for UH.

“I told her I love her, and I’ll always be appreciative of what she has done for our basketball program,” he said. “She’s marked a legacy.”

Landry said she enjoyed playing at UH.

“Playing with this team means a lot to me. I really enjoy going out with these girls one last time. It is truly a blessing.”

 Landry made an immediate impact during her 2008-09 freshman campaign, as she started in 30 of 31 games to help lead the Cougars to a 20-11 record — UH’s first winning season since 2004-05.

 Landry and her teammates captured a C-USA championship in the 2010-11 season when they posted a 26-4 overall record and went undefeated (16-0) in conference play. The team clenched a spot in the NCAA Division I Tournament, but was defeated by West Virginia in the opening round.

 The Cougars struggled the following year (2011-12) when Landry suffered a season-ending neck injury at Georgetown in just the third game of the season; UH finished with a 4-26 overall record.

 Landry has set records for the most starts (121) and assists in school history (483) and was one of three players to average 16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season, nationally.

 “I wasn’t a scoring point guard until I started playing for coach Buchanan,” Landry said. “He started telling me to go. Once I learned that I could score too, it made the assists much easier to come by. I just had a complete game.”

Now, Landry is preparing for the next chapter.

sports@thedailycougar.com

The demise started early in the second half when they went cold from the field by missing eight consecutive shots.

UH went scoreless in the first four minutes, and the Golden Knights took advantage by jumping to a 58-46 lead.After she picked up her fourth foul less than three minutes into the second half, redshirt senior guard Porsche Landry was forced to sit out the next 10 minutes.

Landry could not finish the game the way she started.

She went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, including three 3-pointers to tally 16 points in the first half, but she scored only three points in the second.

Although UH cut the lead to nine when Landry found freshman forward Marche Amerson for a 3-pointer with 1:39 remaining — Landry’s 483rd career assist, which passed Betty Darthard for the No. 1 spot in UH history — the deficit proved too large as UCF put the game away with free throws.

Similar to their previous meeting less than two weeks ago, the Cougars were unable to contain UCF’s guard play or rebound well.

After Monday’s practice, head coach Todd Buchanan said it was imperative to limit the Knights guards, freshman Briahanna Jackson and senior Gevenia Carter, and to crash the boards, aspects of the game he said led to the Feb 28 loss.

“We’re going to have to contain Jackson and Carter. They had combined for 43 of their team’s 68 points last time,” Buchanan said. “The other part is that we’re going to have to keep Erika Jones off the boards. She had 18 rebounds by herself last time.”

Buchanan’s plan did not work.

Carter and Jackson had an encore performance Wednesday as they combined for 47 points. Jones also had her way on the boards once again, grabbing a game-high 17 rebounds.

UH shot 52 percent from the field in the first half but only shot 23 in the second.

The season was not a complete loss though.

The first-round exit from the conference tournament comes as a disappointment to the Cougars, but their 13-17 record represents a nine-game improvement from last season.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Redshirt senior guard Porsche Landry called a team meeting so the squad is mentally prepared for the Conference USA tournament. | Esteban Portillo/The Daily Cougar

After the 76-63 loss to Tulsa on Thursday, redshirt senior guard Porsche Landry told her team to put the past behind them because the postseason is a new beginning.

While the team waited at the gate before their plane departed back home, Landry held a private meeting among her teammates about looking toward the Conference USA Tournament, which begins Wednesday.

“I told them to just let it go. Tulsa is a great ball team, and we let one get away from us, but it’s going to be a new season and a new start. The conference tournament is a whole new season,” Landry said.

Landry told her teammates to stay positive when they felt discouraged after the defeat Thursday.

“We were all a little disappointed because we didn’t play to our potential and execute on the defensive side. I told them to keep their heads up because we’re going to have a fresh start,” she said.

Landry and junior center Mae Woods are the only Cougars that were a part of the 2010-11 team that went 16-0 in league play and captured a C-USA Championship ring. Freshman forward Marche’ Amerson said Landry’s words motivated the team.

“Even though we dropped some games, we should have had this season; every team now is on the same playing field,” Amerson said. “Her words of encouragement, I believe, will make us bring our intensity and go in with the right mindset.”

UH will travel to Tulsa, Okla., and face UCF to open up the C-USA tournament quarterfinals Wednesday.

The two teams last met on Feb. 28, when the Knights pulled away late behind hot-shooting performances from their guards. Preventing it from happening again is one of the two significant aspects the Cougars need to focus on to win, said head coach Todd Buchanan.

“The biggest thing is that we’re going to have to contain (Briahanna) Jackson and (Gevenia) Carter,” he said. “They had 43 of their 68 points last time. We’re going to have to do a really good job of limiting their touches and keep them in front of us on defense.

“The other part is that we’re going to have to keep Erika Jones off the boards. She had 18 rebounds by herself last time,” Buchanan said.

Landry said though they played sloppy in the first meeting, the Cougars expect a different outcome.

“We played lazy on defense, turned the ball over, players getting in foul trouble and we just felt like we didn’t come to play that day,” she said. “I think we have a total different mind frame going into this tournament since it’s a win or go home situation. We really want this championship, and we’re looking forward to go 4-0 in these next couple days.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

Head coach Todd Buchanan said his team will have to play well if they want to avenge the painful previous loss.

“We’re going to have to show up. Tulsa is a nice basketball team, but we have a chance to finish up winning three of our last four if we go there and take care of business,” he said. “We let them go on an 11-0 run late and lose by four. That hurts.”

Tulsa will host their senior night Thursday, featuring its senior guard Taleya Mayberry, who is fourth in conference scoring at 17.8 points per game.

“It’s going to be their senior day, and they’ll be jacked up. Mayberry is a great player, and it will be her last go just like it was Porsche (Landry)’s today. Very similar situations, and now we’re going to be on the other side of it,” Buchanan said.

Freshman guard Alecia Smith said the key to victory is communication on defense similar to what they accomplished Sunday.

“Basically, it’s going to boil down to defense,” she said. “We can score, but we’re going to have to talk to each other on the defensive end like we did against Rice.”

The Cougars are 7-8 in Conference USA. Even with a victory Thursday, they won’t be able to finish better than fifth place — eliminating their chances of a first-round bye in the C-USA tournament March 13 to 16 in Tulsa, Okla.

With two guaranteed games left on the schedule, senior guard Porsche Landry needs 10 assists to pass Betty Darthard for the all-time assist record at UH.

Senior point guard Porsche Landry is the only player in UH history with at least 1,200 points and 375 assists. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar

It was a humbling moment for Porsche Landry as she exited the court for the final time at Hofheinz Pavilion.

“It was hard to walk off the court because it actually hit me that it was my last game at Hofheinz. I couldn’t even get emotional because I was so happy,” Landry said.

When the redshirt senior point guard checked out, she received an embrace from her coach and a standing ovation from the crowd.

The audience responded to not just her accomplishments, but the 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists that paced the Cougars to a 69-59 victory against Rice on Sunday. She has two guaranteed games left against Tulsa and a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the Conference USA tournament.

“I left it all on the court, and I couldn’t have asked for a better senior day, except for flirting with a triple double,” Landry said.

Landry secured seventh place in UH-scoring history, passing former teammate Brittney Scott. She needs nine assists to pass Betty Darthard for the school’s all-time assist leader.

Landry is the only player in UH history with at least 1,200 points and 375 assists.

She earned a C-USA championship ring when her 2010-11 squad went 26-6 and undefeated in conference play and clinched a berth to the NCAA tournament.

Freshman guard Alecia Smith said it’s Landry’s work ethic that has pushed her to get better since her first day.

“It basically started in the offseason. She worked hard and really challenged me,” Smith said. “I knew if I wanted to be a better player, I had to mimic what she does.

“It got her a ring, it got her to be the great player that she is, and it’s been a great and valuable experience on and off the court.”

Landry’s tenure was not without adversity, though.

After suffering a season-ending injury and having to watch the Cougars endure a 4-26 2011-12 season, Landry has helped lead a team with 10 new players to a 13-15 record, said head coach Todd Buchanan.

During her award ceremony on senior night, Landry said she was blessed to be in this position and couldn’t stop smiling.

“I was ecstatic. It wasn’t a sad moment for me, but I was just happy to serve UH the way I have done these last five years,” Landry said.

Landry was happy to have cherished the moment with her loved ones.

“I’m blessed to have both of my parents, along with my brother, to walk down with me. I was real happy,” she said.

When asked about her importance, Buchanan said Landry is a warrior, and he’s glad to have been her coach during their tenure.

“You’re trying to get me emotional aren’t you?” Buchanan said. “She’s meant everything. She’s human and will make mistakes here and there, but at the end of the day, if I had to think of two words to describe the kid, it would be ‘heart’ and ‘competitor.’”

sports@thedailycougar.com

(From left) Junior center and forwards Yasmeen Thompson, Te’onna Campbell and Marissa Ashton have contributed to the Cougars’ improvement this season. The team has 10 more wins than it did last season. | Andrew Valderas/The Daily Cougar

Head coach Todd Buchanan started the season surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

Before the season, 10 of the 12 players on his roster — a total of six freshman, three transfers and one walk-on — were waiting for their debuts in Cougar red.

A season-ending injury to redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry meant junior center Mae Woods was the only Cougar on the current roster who played more than three games last season.

“The difficult part has just been to build a camaraderie and chemistry within the group, and for me to have as much patience as I possibly can,” Buchanan said. “I love this group. I think our foundation is really strong and have been proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

Growing up in Ontario, Calif., junior forward Te’onna Campbell spent her first two collegiate years at New Mexico Junior College, where she averaged 13 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 44 percent from the field. She was able to garner NJCCA Second Team All-American honors and was named the Western Junior College Player of the Year for the 2011-2012 season.

Campbell said the challenge to play against the best of the best was her main motive that led to her transfer to UH.

“I wanted to go big. When I heard they were moving to the Big East Conference, I just kept thinking big. My junior college was in a small town and I was just thinking I have to get myself out there,” Campbell said.

Campbell has made her presence felt on this team, as she leads the team in steals with 2.7 per game, while also averaging eight points and eight rebounds. She put up career highs with 17 points and five assists to top off her game-winning layup with four seconds remaining on Feb. 17 at Tulane.

“She’s so athletic. Her athleticism is one of the intangibles that you just can’t coach,” Buchanan said.

Before junior center Yasmeen Thompson chose to transfer to UH, she wanted to make it feel as close to home as possible.

“I was looking for a place that was going to be family oriented,” Thompson said. “When I heard about all the recruits coming in, I just wanted to feel a part of what was going on.”

Thompson attended Paris Junior College. She earned NJCAA All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in the 2011-2012 season after averaging eight points and nine rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field.

“She’s a true 6 foot 2 inches, extremely athletic, and somebody that really holds down the post and the paint for us,” Buchanan said.

For the Cougars, Thompson averages eight points and nine rebounds, while leading Conference USA in blocks with 1.6 per game.

When junior forward Marissa Ashton decided to transfer to UH from Texas Tech, she said the program wasn’t right for her there and she wanted to feel closer to family.

“Every program isn’t right for every player. I was unhappy and made me want to come close to home,” Ashton said.

Buchanan sees Ashton as a player that presents more than just a great skill set.

“With as many freshmen we signed this season, I think her experience coming from a division one school has helped our team growth a lot,” Buchanan said. “She’s gaining a lot of confidence after each game and practice. We’ve grown a really strong bond in a coach-player relationship.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

Senior guard Porsche Landry surpassed her former Brittney Scott (2007-11) for seventh spot on the all-time scoring chart with 1,547 points. She scored 28 points in her final game at Hofheinz. | Andrew Valderas/The Daily Cougar

With 17 seconds remaining in the game, the crowd rose and paid its respects Sunday to Porsche Landry as she hugged her coach and headed toward the bench for the last time at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Head coach Todd Buchanan said the redshirt senior guard has meant everything to the team this year.

“She’s put this young team with new faces on her back and has carried us to the promise land time and time again for our team,” Buchanan said.

She again meant a lot for the Cougars. UH improved to 7-8 in C-USA and 13-15 overall with the 69-59 victory over Rice University.

Landry was just shy of a triple-double as she had game highs in 28 points, eight assists and nine rebounds. She said she left nothing behind and wanted to leave everything out on the court in her last home outing.

“I wanted to come out and just have fun,” Landry said. “My plan was wanted to get my teammates involved and to play with no consciousness.”

Junior center Yasmeen Thompson registered her sixth double-figure scoring effort and was just shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Thompson said Landry’s last game will make them play more consistently with the games ahead.

“All of us are going to act like every game is going to be (Landry’s) last,” she said. “We were playing for a lot today and that is going to keep us ahead.”

UH shot a season high 47 percent in the first half and had a 34-24 lead at halftime.

“We stayed aggressive,” Buchanan said. “I thought our defense really started it for us when we forced turnovers and go in transition.”

Buchanan said he is proud and grateful to be associated with such a great player like Landry.

“She’ll have a legacy here at UH for the rest of her life,” Buchanan said. “Everything for her has been well deserved, and I have been extremely humble to be her coach for the past three years.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

The Cougars fell to the Knights by a score 68-55 in Orlando, Fla. The loss drops the Cougars to 6-8 in Conference USA and 12-15 overall.

The Knights dominated the Cougars on the glass. UH outrebounded by 14 with UCF junior guard Erika Jones grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds

When the Cougars held their largest lead of the game (5) with 9:06 remaining in the first half, foul trouble hurt them. Junior center Yasmeen Thompson and junior forward Te’onna Campbell were forced to sit out the remainder of the half, allowing the Knights to make a run and take 30-29 lead at recess.

The Cougars three-point shooting has been a dismal all year, as they are rank dead in C-USA at 25 percent, and it showed. They shot 8.3 percent (1-12), compared to the Knight’s 44 (8-18). Shots from behind the arc hurt UH later in the game.

UCF freshman guard Briahanna Jackson connected on her fourth and fifth 3-pointers to give her team a 59-48 lead with 5:09 remaining in the second half. UH kept it close after Thompson’s two free throws cut the lead to 59-54, but turnovers and missed opportunities down the stretch hindered them from getting any closer.

Redshirt senior guard Porsche Landry scored a team-high 13 points to go along with three steals in 38 minutes of play. Freshman forward Marche’ Amerson was able to score 10 points and snatch six rebounds, making it the third time in four games where she has seen double figures.

Landry will play her final game and cap her UH career on senior night against Rice.

The Cougars hope to see results similar to when they played the Owls on Feb. 10, a game in which Landry scored 17 points that lead a 14 point comeback victory.

UH will tip off against Rice at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Junior forward Marissa Ashton has grown comfortable with her role as the team’s first player off the bench. She leads the team in 3-point percentage. | Darla Tamulitis/La Vita Loca Photography

When head coach Todd Buchanan attended a Dickinson High School exhibition game a few years ago, he was fascinated with junior forward Marissa Ashton’s potential and knew she could become a special player because of her skill set.

“I’ve watched Marissa since she was in high school before I was even the coach here at UH,” Buchanan said.

“I was always struck by her ability to step out and shoot the three, giving us that versatile skill set that we really didn’t have.”

Ashton was a standout at Dickinson as she averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds per game. She also accumulated accolades — including Freshman Newcomer of the Year, first team All Galveston County and first team all district honors — in all four years. She helped lead her team to the 2007 state championship final and was crowned district MVP as a senior.

Buchanan missed out on Ashton at first.

Ashton played the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons at Texas Tech, where she averaged 2.7 points and 10 minutes per game. Even after her two-year tenure as a Red Raider, Ashton knew she wasn’t comfortable, and it was time to make a change.

“I just didn’t fit into their program of what they wanted me to do,” Ashton said. “I was unhappy, and it made me want to transfer someplace closer to home.”

Buchanan said he knew the Cougars would be a young team this season and was looking for a player who had experience.

“I thought certainly she can step in and give us that experience and leadership qualities, and she’s done that for the most part,” he said.

Ashton has lifted her game since becoming a Cougar, as she improved her scoring average to eight points per game and is shooting 33 percent from behind the arc to lead the team.

Despite coming off the bench, Ashton made memorable performances that include three double doubles and a game in which she posted career highs with six 3-pointers and 22 points against New Mexico State.

“She’s more comfortable with that role, she’s likes to watch the game for the first few minutes to see how the game flow is. I like to have that scorer that comes off the bench to give us that energy,” Buchanan said.

“My only thing is that I wish we wouldn’t have started her the first few games so she can be a prime candidate for Sixth Man of the Year in Conference USA.”

Ashton said she is satisfied with her role in making an impact when the game is on the line.

“I embrace it. I’m not a selfish player, and I know that it’s all about my team,” Ashton said.

“It doesn’t bother me or phase me that I don’t start because I’m in the game towards the end anyway when it’s crunch time.”

Buchanan said Ashton gained a lot of confidence and has grown on and off the court as she continues to take leaps and bounds.

“Once they understand how much you care about them, they’re going to play their heart out for you. I think she is a perfect example of that,” Buchanan said.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Down 57-58 with four minutes remaining, Amerson was able to score seven of the last eight points, and UH knocked off Conference USA by leading SMU 65-58 at Hofheinz Pavilion on Sunday.

Despite going scoreless until the four-minute mark, Buchanan said the two-time Freshman Award of the Week recipient came up big for her team.

Amerson got off to a slow start after foul trouble limited her to 11 minutes in the first half. She initially lost confidence but knew she needed to make plays in the clutch, Amerson said.

“That’s what great players do,” Buchanan said. “She was struggling for the most part today, but she really had the tenacity and the heart to come back and make the biggest shots that she made on the biggest stage.”

UH handed SMU its second conference loss of the season. The Cougars improve to 12-14 overall.

Freshman guard Alecia Smith recorded a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Junior center Yasmeen Thompson was able to record her fifth double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Redshirt senior guard Porsche Landry was able to place herself in the record books by tallying 1,506 points for her career and moving into the eighth spot in school history.

The Cougars were able to keep Mustangs junior guard Keena Mays under control in the first half but was able to knock down three 3-pointers in the second half.

“In the second half, we didn’t pay as much attention to her as we needed. We let her get hot, and once she got going, she knocked some shots down,” Amerson said. “We came together and said we need to lock her down and tighten up our defense as a whole.”

SMU has been on top of the conference since the season started, but the Cougars feel comfortable if they have to see them again.

“We match up well with them. They’re not dominantly big or anything like that. We have a lot of athletes; they have a lot of athletes,” Buchanan said. “I think Mays and Landry really offset each other a lot of times, and I think (junior forward) Te’onna (Campbell) did a really, really good job defending her.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

Entering the game, the Cougars said keys to victory were to win the rebounding matchup and force turnovers — they succeeded in doing both but still lost 73-55. The Cougars have lost four straight to the Miners dating back to last season and have dropped to 11-14 overall on the season.

Similar to their previous meeting last month, the Miners shot greater than 40 percent from the field, and the Cougars shot below 30.

UH was unable to stop UTEP junior forward Kayla Thornton, as she tied a game high 19 points to compliment her game high 14 rebounds.

Redshirt senior point guard and freshman forward Marche’ Amerson led the Cougars by scoring 14 points each, while junior forward Te’onna Campbell nearly posted a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Despite getting off to a slow start, the Cougars were able to cut the deficit to two when Landry found Campbell down low for a layup, making it 19-17 with 5:18 left in the first half. The Miners countered with a 14-2 run to take a 33-19 lead into halftime.

After being down by as many as 18, junior center Yasmeen Thompson would convert on a layup to cut the score at 54-47 with 9:21 remaining in the second half — the closest the Cougars got to the Miners.

The Miners put the game out of reach for good, as Thornton’s 3-pointer helped extend the lead to 22 with less than two minutes remaining.

UH will look to avenge last month’s lost when it faces the Conference USA leading (20-5) SMU on Sunday— a game in which they coughed up a three-point lead with two minutes remaining.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Freshman forward Marche Amerson picked up her second Conference USA freshman of the week award. | Rebekah Stearns/The Daily Cougar

It was the game-winning shot against Rice that showed head coach Todd Buchanan that one of his players had taken a step up in her play, resulting in a familiar award.

Freshman forward Marche Amerson hit the game winning layup against Rice with 1:21 remaining to secure the 53-51 victory and her second Conference USA Freshman Player of the Week award.

After averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 59 percent from the field, including three 3-pointers, the native from Bryan, Texas increased her confidence in order to earn the third C-USA Player of the Week accolade in the last four weeks.

“She’s really gaining a lot of confidence. I think her making the shot at the end of the Rice game is proof of that,” Buchanan said.

“I’m not sure if earlier in the year she would have had the confidence to drive toward the basket and finish the play like that.”

Amerson said she needed to be more aggressive offensively to help produce wins for her team.

“I’ve had more confidence in my shot,” Amerson said. “I felt I needed to score more to help my team out, because we’ve been struggling on offense in conference play.”

After being outrebounded by 19 in their first meeting with UTEP, the Cougars will need Amerson to carry that confidence onto the court and crash the boards early and often in order to come away with a win.

“We have to get on the glass. Lately we’ve been letting people push us under the basket,” Amerson said.

“We have to get more rebounds and be aggressive.”

The UTEP Miners lead the conference in rebounding by a 7.5 margin against opponents and are anchored by senior center Ante Steinberga, who posted 20 points and 12 rebounds against the Cougars previously.

UH will look to increase their overall record to 12-13 by collecting a third consecutive road win.

UH will tip-off at UTEP at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Don Haskins Center.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Buchanan previously said he has a lot of options at end-of-game situations, but he would like to have the ball in redshirt senior guard Porsche Landry’s hands.

After Landry drove the lane and missed the contested layup, junior forward Te’onna Campbell was able to snatch the offensive rebound and lay it back up with just four seconds remaining to secure the Cougar’s second consecutive road victory.

After a disappointing loss in their first meeting, Campbell’s layup in the closing seconds lifted the Cougars to a 71-70 double-overtime victory at Tulane on Sunday.

“Coach always tells us to finish the play until the final whistle, and it paid off,” Campbell said.

Campbell produced career highs of 17 points and five assists to go along with her eight rebounds in 48 minutes played.

Junior center Yasmeen Thompson was just shy of a double-double and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to compliment her nine points.

After allowing Tulane to shoot 50 percent (10-20) from the 3-point line two weeks ago, the Cougars wanted to chase them off the line as they allowed the Green Wave to shoot only 23 percent (3-13) from behind the arc.

With the game tied at eight in the opening minutes, Tulane senior guard Tyria Snow’s layup capped a 21-7 run to give her team a 29-15 lead with 6:10 remaining in the first half. They extended their lead to 38-26 at halftime.

Down 37-49 in the middle of the second half, the Cougars put on a clinic as Landry scored 8 points during a 21-2 run to give them a 58-51 lead with 4:30 remaining.

“We finally got into an offensive rhythm and found our groove to execute,” Campbell said.

Tulane would end regulation on a 9-2 run to send the game into the first overtime.

Landry’s 3-pointer and Campbell’s layup wasn’t quite enough to secure the victory, and the game went into the second overtime tied at 65.

The Cougars were able to snap out of their offensive funk as they found their groove offensively and shot more than 41 percent from the field — their first time eclipsing 40 percent in more than seven games.

The win improves the Cougar’s overall record to 11-13 and 5-6 in Conference USA.

The 16-point comeback in the second half tops last Sunday’s 14 against Rice.

The Cougars will travel to El Paso to face the (18-6) Miners 8 p.m. Thursday.

sports@thedailycougar.com

UH has lost five of its last six and has dropped to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play. | Esteban Portillo

It was a combination of turnovers and a lot of missed opportunities that plagued the Cougars on Thursday.

They allowed a late 11-0 run, leading to a 59-55 defeat against Tulsa. The Cougars turned it over five times in the final eight minutes, allowing Tulsa to take advantage.

“I have to take better care of the ball. I shouldn’t have had that many turnovers tonight”, said redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry. “We have to make our easy layups and convert on our free throws down the stretch.”

With UH down 53-56, freshman guard Alecia Smith was unable to convert on a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game with 10 seconds remaining. UH has lost five of its last six and has dropped to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play. Landry led all scorers with 23 points to go along with her 9 rebounds, making her just shy of tallying up her second consecutive career double-double.

The Cougars played well before the break though.

After Tulsa took a 22-17 lead, Landry and freshman forward Marche’ Amerson would hit three 3-pointers combined, including Landry’s with just 6.5 seconds left in the half, captivating an 11-4 run to take a 28-26 lead into halftime.

The Cougars converted on five 3-pointers in the first half.

After Tulsa knocked down a pair of free throws to go up 38-37, the Cougars sparked an 8-0 run when Landry snatched an offensive rebound in traffic, then kicked it out to junior forward Marissa Ashton who drained a 3-pointer to give the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 45-40 with 8:18 left in the game.

The Cougar’s bench turned from frenzy to an utter silence as Tulsa concluded a furious 16-4 run when sophomore guard Kaden Brady knocked in her second 3-pointer to give her team a 56-49 lead with 3:17 remaining.

“We didn’t get stops on defense and they executed by hitting a couple threes,” Landry said. “We have to learn how to stay up when we’re up.”

The Cougars shot 46 percent (6-13) from the free throw line, now ranking dead last in Conference USA with an overall 63 percent for the season.

Head coach Todd Buchanan said his team got comfortable after they had a 45-40 lead.

“I think we got a little satisfied. I don’t know why, but I felt like we played nervous, passive, and tight down the stretch. We went through a time there where it felt like an eternity before we scored,” Buchanan said.

The Cougar’s route ahead of them doesn’t get any easier, as their next three opponents post a combined record of 54-15.

sports@thedailycougar.com

The last time former head women’s basketball coach Joe Curl was on a plane, he should have died.

The Cougars were headed to face off against Texas Tech, but when the plane landed, Curl was rushed to the hospital. His heart had stopped pumping properly during the flight and caused him to gain nearly 30 pounds in excess fluid.

Doctors told him he would never be able to fly again, and at the end of the season, Curl told UH he wouldn’t be coaching again.Curl coached the team for 12 seasons, compiled a 193-167 record and become the longest tenured and most successful coach in the program’s history.

In 1998, Curl led the Cougars to the most wins in school history with 28 wins, championships in the Conference USA game and tournament and an appearance in the NCAA tournament. After the record-breaking season, Curl was named C-USA Coach of the Year and received National Coach of the Year honors from the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association, ESPN.com and The Basketball Times.

Now, Curl sits on his couch with an IV in his arm reading the newspaper cover to cover, listening to UH basketball games and waiting for a new heart.

“It has been five years since my heart attack, and I have forgotten what it is like to feel good,” Curl said. Curl has end-stage heart disease, causing his heart to function at about 15 percent. Curl’s parents and all but one of his five siblings have died from the same disease. After a recent stint in the hospital, Curl was given 1B status, the second-highest status on the heart transplant list.

Curl says he misses the interaction with the students and coaching, but he’s glad to be out of the game for now.

Since his health forced him to retire, Curl has been able to spend more quality time with his family including his wife Lesa and his 3-year old grandson Maverick, which Curl says is a “blessing.” | Courtesy of Angela Curl-Okafor

“The last two or three years of coaching was just overwhelming and exhausting. It would wipe me out so much walking down the hallway from the locker room and onto the court that I almost couldn’t coach the two hours,” Curl said. “I felt like I wasn’t doing justice to the team.”

But the worst part about no longer being a coach for Curl is the inactivity. Before the heart attack, Curl was passionate about three things: coaching, landscaping and most of all, cooking. For 13 years, Curl would bring his custom-made, over-sized grill to tailgates and cook for anyone.

After Hurricane Katrina, Curl broke out his grill, and for 10 days, fed people who were displaced. Then, drove to Splendora, Texas with a friend for five days to cook for families without power.

Marvin Coleman, a long-time UH women’s basketball fan and Curl’s friend, says Curl was always helping people and cared tremendously about not only his athletes, but all students.

“Joe is the best coach the women’s team has ever had, but he is also a marvelous person. He’s big-hearted, and I don’t mean that as a pun,” Coleman said. “We just keep praying that something will come through for him. If it doesn’t, he won’t live, and he knows that. He is weak right now, but he’s a strong fighter. I don’t think the average person would have lived as long.”

Curl is currently on 22 prescriptions, an amount that is sure to only increase if he were to receive a new heart. The cost of the medical procedures, prescriptions and the potential heart transplant has depleted the Curl family’s savings and forced them to sell their home.

“We have had as a family conversations with the doctors on whether or not to proceed with this at all because of the finances,” Curl said.  “We have seriously considered just letting it run its course. But I want to live for my family. I want to see my daughters continue to grow and raise families and be with my wife. But it is really hard ’cause sometimes you feel like you are in the way.”

Even through all of this, Curl’s daughter Angela and his wife, Lesa, look forward to the day their family receives a call letting them know that there’s a heart. However, Curl recognizes the other side to this good news, and his generosity overwhelms his own needs.

“I don’t know how I would feel about receiving a heart. I think my youngest daughter said it the best, ‘You hate to have something good to happen to you at the expense of someone else,’ and that is always first and foremost in my mind. I don’t wish that on anybody,” Curl said. “If I could save somebody else the pain of losing somebody, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Ways to donate this is from the family:

Checks, along with a form can be found on joecurlhearttransplant.com, and can be mailed to:

Wells Fargo Bank

1600 Highway 146

Seabrook, Texas 77586

Donations can also be made by taking the printable form to any Wells Fargo location. Donations also can be made to the National Heart Transplant Foundation

For more information, visit joecurlhearttransplant.com

sports@thedailycougar.com

“If someone was to tell me that a recruiting class as high as number 22, which we have, would struggle scoring, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said head coach Todd Buchanan. “We’ve gone to another level of bad decision and poor shot selection.”

The loss drops UH to 9-12 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA.

Redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry led the Cougars with 19 points and 10 rebounds, her first double-double of the season.

With the Cougars down 18-22 with 5:11 remaining, ECU closed the first half on a 13-5 run with back-to-back 3-pointers, propelling it to 35-23 lead at halftime. Down 12, UH started to rally and went on a 22-11 run to get the score down to 46-45 with 12:05 remaining in the last half — the closest the Cougars got the Pirates.

ECU responded. Senior guard Celeste Stewart knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers, helping her team go on a 13-2 run, giving it a 59-47 lead with 7:20 remaining in the game.

“We showed our immaturity and lack of discipline on the defensive side and gave up two threes,” Buchanan said. “Next thing you know, the one-point game turns into a 12-point game. At the end of the day, that’s the ball game.”

Junior center Yasmeen Thompson said poor possessions in the second half created a deficit the team couldn’t overcome.

“We dug ourselves out of the hole and then got comfortable. We started getting lazy in possessions and we weren’t talking.”

UH’s inability to convert from the charity stripe has been a microcosm of its struggles. The Cougars shot a dismal 63 percent from the free throw line and missed a lot of easy plays under the basket, which contributed to the 31.7 percent field goal shooting.

“We have to execute our free throws and finish easy layups,” Landry said. “We have to run the floor, and we have to play Cougar basketball.”

UH will try to avoid its fifth consecutive loss with its next opponent, Rice.

“It’s an inner-city rivalry. If you can’t get crunk and get up to play that game on their floor, on national TV, then stay home,” Buchanan said.

sports@thedailycougar.com

Freshman forward Alecia Smith has started ever game since the Cougars’ sixth game of the season — a 67-51 victory against North Western State on Nov. 24 at Hofheinz. | Esteban Portillo/The Daily Cougar

Seniority rules is not an adage the UH women’s basketball team has been following recently — a number of freshmen have been playing big for the Cougars earning more playing time and C-USA awards.

Freshman guard Alecia Smith — or LeLe as her teammates call her — has posted 17.5 points per game with a 48 percent shooting average. It was a record she knew was not to be ignored. After receiving the Conference USA Freshman of the Week award on Monday, Smith says she’s driven to do even better.

“[The award] let me know that hard work pays off,” Smith said. “It has given
me that extra motivation to play better.”

Smith has posted double-digit scoring games in her last two contests, including hitting a career high of seven 3-pointers against Tulane making her the 3-point leader among the Cougars with 28 baskets.

Head coach Todd Buchanan said Smith’s work ethic is the secret to her success.

“There are a lot of kids who talk big and want to be the best,” Buchanan said. “Smith puts the work in to be the best,and it’s definitely going to be a good ride with her the next three years.”

Smith is one of several freshmen who have been proving themselves on the court.

Forward Tyler Gilbert is a player who has seen some recent playing time and is able to bring the defense to the court for the Cougars.

“I feel defense is the main aspect I can thrive on,” said Gilbert. “The offense will come around, but as far as defense, that’s the main aspect I’m working on.”

Last week’s C-USA Freshman of the week award winner Marche’ Amerson put up a career high of 20 points in a game last month against Memphis and helped keep last week’s game against SMU close by pitching in several baskets.

Entering their game facing the Pirates of East Carolina, the Cougars will rely on the freshmen to continue to prove themselves on the court.  The team will face opponents with a combined record of 64-16 in their last four contests, starting with the ECU game.

Buchanan said he hopes the Cougars’ last two losses will not distract the team come Thursday.

“I want them to show up,” Buchanan said. “[We need to] bring that Houston Women’s basketball passion back. I will be shocked if we don’t show up on Thursday night.”

UH will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday in Hofheinz Pavillion.

sports@thedailycougar.com

“That was an incredibly gut-wrenching disappointment,” said head women’s basketball coach Todd Buchanan. “The only thing that I know to do is own up to it and apologize, because that’s not Houston women’s basketball.”

Freshman guard Alecia Smith knocked down a career high, seven 3s against Tulane. | Justin Tijerina/ The Daily Cougar

Freshman guard Alecia Smith scored a game high 23 points, including 7-11 from downtown. Smith’s seven 3-point field goals were a career high.

Tulane got after it from the opening tip, as senior guard Janique Kautsky scored 10 points, including two back-to-back 3-pointers to put her team up 19-10 with 10:56 remaining in the first half.The Cougars sparked an 8-2 run after Smith hit a 3-point shot, cutting the score to 21-18 with 7:35 left.

This would be the closest the Cougars got to the Green Wave.

The second-half shooting for the Green Wave would continue to sizzle, as sophomore guard Danielle Blagg drilled four 3-pointers. The Green Wave had a 56-29 lead with 10:48 remaining—their largest of the game. Buchanan wasn’t pleased with his team’s defense, saying they were confused and lacked communication with each other as Tulane shot over 52.5 percent from the field, including 50 percent (10-20) from behind the arc.

“I feel like we played really soft and discombobulated. We didn’t do a good job of talking,” Buchanan said. “We didn’t do a good job of going foot-to-foot on the switches, and we didn’t do a good job of contesting the shots when we were there.”

UH just couldn’t get anything going on offense, as they only shot 33.3 percent; the same percentage accumulated for its last three games.

“It was the spacing on the floor, and we didn’t execute the game plan that we went over and drilled in practice,” said redshirt point guard Porsche Landry.

After a loss two days prior against Conference USA leading SMU, Landry said the disappointment carried over into this game.

“In a way it did, but you have to play every game one at a time. You have to have short-term memory,” Landry said. “The loss Thursday was tough. We were down 10 and came back. I guess that was the same mentality we had at the half today, but we didn’t execute.”

sports@thedailycougar.com

After 16 rebounds in the Cougars last contest, junior forward Te’onna Campbell scored a career and game-high 16 points against SMU. | Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

The Cougars turned it over on each of their possessions during the rest of the game, allowing junior guard Keena Mays to score six of the Mustangs final seven points to climb back late and take the lead.

Holding onto a three-point lead with less than two minutes to play, UH turned the ball over four times, allowing SMU to capitalize and steal a 58-54 victory.

The loss drops the Cougars to 9-10 overall and 1-7 on the road.

Junior forward Te’onna Campbell surpassed a milestone for the second straight game. She posted a career-high and game-high 16 points after grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds in the Cougars’ last contest.

Redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry was just shy of a double-double but placed her name in the Conference USA history book, tallying 1,402 career points — the ninth most in conference history.

Playing like evenly matched teams, both shot 33 percent from the field in the first half. It was close throughout: The Mustangs only led 22-21 going into halftime. As the second half began, the Mustangs jumped out on a 9-0 run, giving them the largest lead of the game at 31-21.

UH sparked a 10-0 run when junior forward Marissa Ashton hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five. Landry later converted a 3-point play to tie the game at 31 with 13:44 remaining in regulation.

After SMU went up 47-44 on a layup, UH called a timeout with 6:03 remaining, sparking a 10-4 run after junior center Yasmeen Thompson connected on a free throw, giving her team a 54-51 lead with two minutes left to play in the game. Thompson’s free throw was the Cougar’s final point of the game.

Mays keyed the final defensive possession for SMU by forcing an open-court five-second violation, erasing the Cougars chance to tie the game.

UH will play at home against Tulane University at 2 p.m. Saturday.

sports@thedailycougar.com

After averaging 13 points per game in two games Marche’ Amerson was named Freshman Player of the Week on Monday. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

It was a teammate’s text that let freshman forward Marche’ Amerson know her recent double-digit scoring performances and court work had paid off.

The sharp-shooting forward received her first career Conference USA Freshman of the Week award Monday after averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds in her last two performances.

“I was shocked — it was a good accomplishment, and I felt very excited,” Amerson said.

Amerson has strung together several solid performances, including a career high of 15 points and 11 rebounds during Houston’s 81-70 win over Southern Miss. The Bryan native also leads the freshmen in points with seven games scoring in double figures.

After losing Sunday to UTEP, UH (9-9) will need Amerson to continue sinking baskets Thursday to win against conference-leading SMU.

For the second consecutive game, the Cougars will face one of the top two teams in Conference USA.

“We’re going to have to bring the intensity and set the tone on defense and rebounding. Our transition game is going to be a big key for us to get easy points,” Amerson said.

The Cougars will also have to pay extra attention to junior guard Keena Mays, who is averaging 20.3 points per game and shooting more than 44 percent from downtown for the Mustangs.

Junior forward Te’onna Campbell, coming off a career-high 16 rebounds against UTEP, says she knows what it’s going to take to tame the Mustangs and surpass the .500 mark for the second time this season.

“We’re going to have to play how we’re used to. We got to execute the offense better and decrease the turnovers,” Campbell said.

Because of her versatility, Campbell is able to make unpredictable plays. She nailed a clutch 3-pointer against Marshall and a big offensive put-back against Memphis. Head coach Todd Buchanan calls Campbell a difference-maker for their team and hopes she will help lead the team to victory.

“Across the board in all phases, defensively and the intangible things you can’t coach, most kids can’t play the way she does,” Buchanan said.

UH will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday at SMU.

sports@thedailycougar.com