Senior forward Danrad Knowles finished with nine points, three rebounds and two blocks in the 79-66 victory | File Photo/The Cougar
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams took the court against conference foes over the weekend.
The men were able to secure a win over rival Temple, led by redshirt junior guard Rob Gray Jr’s impressive performance. However, the women were unable to upset No. 1 Connecticut.
Men
The Cougars (15-7, 6-4) were firing on all cylinders against Temple (11-11, 2-7) Saturday night, gaining the lead early and holding on for the 79-66 win.
The duo of Gray and redshirt senior guard Damyean Dotson led the Cougars offensive attack, totaling 48 of the team’s 79 points.
Gray was able to piece together a solid game for the Cougars, finishing with a team-high of 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Dotson finished with his team-high seventh double-double of the season, after earning 20 points and crashing the glass for 10 rebounds.
The team also received valuable minutes from redshirt senior forward Danrad Knowles. Knowles was all over the stat sheet, adding nine points, three rebounds and a game-high two blocks.
As a team, the Cougars shot 46.4 percent from the field and 45 percent from behind the three-point line.
The Cougars were able dominate the glass, pulling in 38 rebounds against Temple’s 31. The Cougars slight edge in rebounding was critical in this close conference win, leading to a 13-8 advantage in second-chance points.
In his first game back since being injured, redshirt junior forward Devin Davis provided a spark, totaling nine points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
Women
The ladies suffered a tough loss to No. 1 ranked American Athletic Conference opponent UConn, ending the game 91-42 Saturday afternoon.
Although the Cougars (8-13, 1-7) held a small lead early on, they weren’t able to maintain control, as the four-time national champion Huskies (20-0, 8-0) brought their win streak to 95.
Freshman guard Jasmyne Harris led the team with 14 points and four rebounds, while senior center Jacqueline Blake was productive from the bench. Blake shot 5-6 from the field, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds.
As a team, the production was low. The Cougars shot just 28.6 percent from the field, finishing with 25 turnovers.
