Junior Dorian Branch has been a major piece of the offense in recent games. Her improved performance helped the team go on a four-game win streak. | Andres Chio/ The Cougar
The UH women’s basketball team was riding a four-game win streak into Wednesday night’s contest against the USF Bulls.
The Cougars beat USF to start the winning streak, but the Bulls ended it as they went on to win 59-49 in Houston.
Junior guard Angela Harris and senior forward Octavia Barnes were the only double-digit scorers for the Cougars as they scored 17 and 12, respectively.
Houston started on a bad foot. The Bulls scored the first 10 points of the game and ended the quarter with a double-digit lead. Houston was unable to find any offense or get many stops on defense.
The Cougars allowed USF to score 22 points in the first quarter while only scoring 10 points on offense. UH converted on only four of its 17 field goal attempts in the period.
It got only worse for the Cougars in the second quarter. The team scored just five points in the quarter and made only two field goals. Houston also missed all four of its free throw attempts in the period.
UH finally started getting some offense in the third quarter, but it was not enough to stop the Bulls from amassing a game-high 26-point lead.
The Cougars dominated the fourth quarter as they attempted a late game rally, but the team fell short of completing the comeback.
Houston had not been in a game with a margin of victory higher than two since its previous loss to Temple. The Cougars have now played in six games since Jan. 30 that were decided by less than two points.
Junior guard Dorian Branch scored only two points against USF after she scored 15 or more points in five of the previous six games, including two 20-point performances. Her scoring has been desperately needed as Harris has struggled.
Before Wednesday, Harris had not led the team in scoring in a game since Jan. 20 against Wichita State. She has only two games remaining to try to gain some momentum for the conference tournament.
The Cougars return to action March 2 as they face the UConn Huskies in Connecticut.
