After being named to the 2015 All-American Conference Team and winning the 60m hurdles in the AAC Championships, Williams finished 10th at the national stage in just his first trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
Outdoor track and field is starting up after the Cougars pulled out a first place finish in the AAC Indoor Championships, ending their time competing under a roof, and both Cougar basketball teams ended their postseason tournament runs before Spring Break after matches with the some of the AAC’s top teams. Here’s what went down:
Indoor Track and Field goes out with a bang
The fate of the Cougars’ indoor track and field season came down to their final event in the American Indoor Championships. They walked away with first place after a 4x400m relay win put them in the lead by just one point.
Junior Issac Williams was the lone Cougar to qualify for the NCAA Championships with his time of 7.88 seconds in the American Indoor Championships. Williams made his first trip to the NCAA Championships and finished the indoor season for the Cougars with a 10th place finish with just a 0.26-second differential separating him from first place in the 60m hurdles final.
Men’s Basketball upset leads to quarterfinal run
The 12-18 Cougars entered the postseason after hitting a three-game winning streak to close conference play. Junior guard Jherrod Stiggers stepped up for the Cougars’ late in the season, as he finished the regular season with an average of 14.1 points per game, ranking fifth in the AAC. Another leader was found in junior forward Devonta Pollard. Pollard was one of only three players to rank in the AAC’s top-16 in scoring and rebounding with averages of 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The Cougars opened their postseason play with a 66-60 upset win over the Tulane Green Wave after Stiggers lead with 23 points, quickly to be followed up by a career-high 20 points from junior guard Cavon Baker.
The No. 10 seed Cougars then went on to face the No. 2 seed Tulsa Golden Hurricane and Pollard’s team-leading 14 points was just not enough in the 51-59 loss. The Hurricane shut down a late-game run from the Cougars, something that became common in Houston’s offense late in the season. The Hurricane held them scoreless for the game’s final 3:11.
Women’s Basketball struggle ends in tough loss
Houston women’s basketball was set as the No. 11 seed going into their playoff run and fell short 39-64 to the No. 6 Tulane Green Wave. The Cougars couldn’t take down the Green Wave like their male counterparts did but came close as their strengthening defense picked up 14 rebounds to keep the ball with the Cougars. Houston failed to make the most of their recoveries as the highest score was shared at seven between freshman guard Mariah Mitchell and junior guard Jessieka Palmer.
