The Cougars extended their losing streak to six after falling to Memphis 66-65 on the road Wednesday night. With the loss, the Cougars drop to 8-12 overall on the season and 1-6 in the American Athletic Conference.
After getting off to a fierce start and leading throughout the first three quarters, the Cougars were unable to hold on as the Tigers came back in the fourth. After going down by 3 points with 14 seconds remaining, junior guard Chyanne Butler’s chance to tie fell flat and the buzzer sounded as the put-back went through.
Memphis hit the first bucket 39 seconds into the game, but the Cougars responded with a quick 7-0 run.
The Cougars continued to dominate in the first, going 7-14 from the field, including hitting five three-pointers en route to a 22-9 lead.
Freshman guard Jasmyne Harris shined in her first start of the season, leading the team with 19 points. She wasn’t the only young player to influence the game, as freshman guard Angela Harris scored 18 points with a pair of assists and rebounds. Sophomore guard Serithia Hawkins added 10 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
Though the Memphis offense began to develop, the Cougars held their lead through the third quarter.
The Tigers started the second half with a 4-0 run that was quickly combated with a layup from Angela Harris. Jasmyne Harris immediately followed up with a steal and score to put the Cougars up by eight.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, it wasn’t enough to stifle an injured Tigers team as they continued to cut into the 48-43 Houston lead.
Memphis would establish a lead in the fourth, their first since the opening bucket of the game, starting the quarter on a 10-3 run.
The Cougars answered with four straight points from senior guard Kierra Graves, allowing them to tie up the game.
However, an offensive foul by the Cougars with 1:50 to play gave the Tigers a three-point lead they wouldn’t yield.