UH junior guard Tiara Young scored a team-high 15 points on Wednesday in the Cougars’ loss to UTA. | Esther Umoh/The Cougar
Houston women’s basketball traveled to Arlington for another non-conference matchup and fell 69-66 to UTA in overtime.
After a slow start offensively from both teams, UTA struck first with a layup.
After a little back and forth, the Mavericks scored seven straight points.
From there, UH played catch-up. Buckets from sophomore guard Laila Blair and junior guard Tiara Young brought the Cougars within three, but UTA pulled away again.
Blair recorded a near double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Young led Houston with 15 points.
UH trailed 15-8 going into the second quarter.
The Cougars began to bounce back, with Blair and Young scoring back to back once again.
Down three, senior forward Tatyana Hill, who tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, grabbed an offensive rebound and went right back up to bring UH within one point.
With more offensive rebounding and turning the heat up on defense, the Cougars took control of the quarter.
Sparked by another second-chance shot, UH went on a 9-0 run to lead 34-23.
The Cougars did not stop there. UH forced offensive fouls and grabbed steals to extend its run to 13-0.
Up 38-23, the Cougars headed into halftime with a 15-point advantage.
The Mavericks put an end to UH’s run with the two shots of the third quarter, while the Cougars were plagued by turnovers.
UTA was back within seven points after a 10-2 run.
A 3-pointer from Dymond Gladney out of the timeout put UH back on track, leading 43-33.
The Mavericks responded with shots of their own and by forcing a couple of Cougar turnovers.
Soon enough, UTA made it a one-possession game.
The Mavericks knotted the game at 47 with a three.
In the fourth quarter, the teams traded buckets, with UH holding a slight lead.
Junior forward Bria Patterson, who ended with 12 points, sank a big 3-pointer to give the Cougars a 59-56 lead with under three minutes to go.
The game was tied again when UTA added a three of its own with 55 seconds left.
Neither team could hold an advantage, and the game was headed into overtime.
UH started the extra minutes strong, with a 3-pointer from Blair.
But a 5-0 run from the Mavericks put them ahead 66-64.
A shot from Hill tied the score at 66, but late fouls from the Cougars put UTA over the top.
UH dropped the game 69-66 in a narrow overtime loss.
