Sophomore guard Laila Blair scored 14 points in UH’s road victory over Tulsa. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar
The UH women’s basketball team ended its six-game losing streak with a 65-64 comeback victory on the road on Wednesday.
The Cougars’ first-quarter play showed early signs of a one-sided game with the Hurricane pushing on both ends of the court to lead 15-10.
Tulsa went on a 7-0 run in the last two minutes of the first quarter as UH trailed 22-10 heading into the second quarter.
The early part of the second quarter saw Tulsa pick up where it left off, as the Hurricane jumped out to extend its lead to as large as 15 midway through the period.
The Cougars found a spark and were able to turn things around with an 8-0 run in the final 4:57 of the half.
UH outscored Tulsa 17-8 in the second quarter and only trailed 30-27 at halftime.
Heading into the second half, the Cougars lost the momentum they finished within the first half, leading to a more even third quarter that saw Tulsa outscore UH 16-12.
Down 46-39 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Cougars were going to need a comeback to get over the hump and snap their losing streak.
With just over a minute left in the fourth quarter, UH claimed its first lead of the game with a layup by junior forward Bria Patterson.
Exchanging field goals and the free throws in crunch time, the final minute saw seven lead changes as Tulsa guard Maya Mayberry recaptured the lead with 18 seconds left in the game.
Coming out of a UH timeout, the Cougars’ found late-game heroics through junior guard Tiara Young as she hit the game-winning layup with five seconds left to regain the lead for the Cougars at 65-64.
Tulsa pushed the ball down the court looking for a game-winning shot at the buzzer but came up short as time expired.
Sophomore guard Laila Blair finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists for the Cougars.
