The Cougars snapped a four-game losing streak with a home win over Cincinnati Tuesday night. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
The UH women’s basketball team scored its 12th win of the season on Tuesday night with a 54-46 over Cincinnati in the Fertitta Center.
Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter as offensive struggles held the Cougars to 23 percent from the field, while the Bearcats shot only 22 percent from two-point range and went 0-3 from deep. The period ended with an 11-11 tie game.
Senior guard Laila Blair kept the game tight throughout the night with consistent scoring for the Coogs, putting up a game-high 15 points.
Able to shake off some of the shooting struggles, Cougars closed out the first half taking a 26-22 lead into the break.
Graduate guard N’Yah Boyd flirted with a double-double, grabbing a team-high 8 rebounds and posting 11 points to seal the win.
Keeping the Bearcats in the game were freshman guard Reagan Jackson and senior forward Jillian Hayes as Jackson led the way in scoring 13 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. Hayes was a force, defensively pulling down 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, she also added 10 points to her total.
In the final period, senior forward Kamryn Jones hit two big shots to hold off a Cincinnati comeback. In the waning minutes of the game, Houston began to leave their mark defensively, allowing the Bearcats to make only 2 of 13 shot attempts before holding them scoreless for the final 4:44.
UH improved to 12-9 on the season and 3-7 in conference play. Houston will continue its home stand with a game against No. 13 Baylor on Feb. 4 at the Fertitta Center.
