Houston Guard Eylia Love drives to the basket during the second half of an NCAA Women’s college basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Houston, Texas | Joshua Braggs/The Cougar.
Houston women’s basketball has concluded non-conference play, and the team holds a 4-7 record. With Big 12 play on the near horizon, Houston is looking to make a statement and build on its early-season struggles and triumphs. Here’s a look at some of the Cougars’ recent matchups.
Houston overpowers Alcorn State
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Cougars as their win against Alcorn State on Nov. 21 clinched them their first win streak of the season.
Sophomore guard Kierra Merchant led all scorers with 13 points and played strong defensively, racking up seven steals.
Graduate guard Eylia Love posted a double-double and recorded three steals.
Senior forward Peyton McFarland and sophomore guard Summer Bostock each scored 11 points.
Graduate guard Laila Blair and redshirt sophomore guard Gigi Cooke combined for 20 points and nine rebounds.
The Cougar started off strong in the first quarter, ending with a 17-15 advantage with Blair scoring five quick points.
The Braves responded to UH’s strong play when graduate forward Sharmanye Finley splashed a jumper to tie the game at 20.
Houston’s defense sparked a fast-break opportunity early in the second quarter when Love intercepted a pass, leading to a layup by Cooke to give the Cougars up by two.
Alcorn State’s senior guard Maya Claytor and Finley both missed key shots, allowing Houston to take advantage of the empty possessions. Blair then added two points to the score, extending the lead to 27-23.
Houston went scoreless for over three minutes late in the second quarter due to missed 3-pointer and turnovers.
Despite these setbacks, UH still managed to play strong defense and stay ahead, ending the second quarter with a score of 29-25.
With the start of the third quarter, Houston’s offense started to click as Blair capitalized on an Alcorn State turnover which led to an easy layup.
Despite challenging earlier quarters, the Cougars came out with increased energy and made key plays to maintain a five-point lead.
The Braves showed resilience, catching up with free throws and timely offensive rebounds.
Senior guard Kiarra Henderson was a key player for Alcorn early in the match, but her missed opportunities late in the game gave UH chances to expand their lead.
The Cougar’s strong defense continued as Love and Merchant forced additional turnovers late in the quarter.
Merchant followed up her steal with a smooth three-pointer. Moments later, graduate guard Ashley Chevalier struck again, hitting two more 3-pointers and cutting into the lead.
Chevalier maintained her hot streak, knocking another layup at the buzzer and closing the 3rd quarter with a score standing 43-34.
Despite an early run for the Braves, Blair and Love responded with crucial buckets. Bostock’s back-to-back three-pointers sealed the game for the Cougars as they won 73-48.
The Cougars capitalized on turnovers forced by their strong defensive efforts. They recorded 20 turnovers which resulted in 13 points. Houston also had a season-high 14 steals.
“It was a good win for us,” said senior forward Maliyah Johnson. “We really needed that.”
Houston ends streak with loss to North Texas
Houston was left feeling green after falling to North Texas 69-53.
“Jason Burton had his team prepared to play,” said coach Ronald Hughey. “They came out like Gangbusters.”
In the first quarter, the Mean Green started hot, going on a 9-0 run and leading 11-2 before the Cougars called a timeout.
After the timeout, despite UNT going over five minutes without scoring a single point, the Coogs could only muster up four points as they trailed 12-6 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, North Texas once again started hot, scoring 10 straight points and outscoring Houston 14-5 to take a 26-11 lead with 4:44 left in the quarter. Houston stepped it up and outscored the Mean Green 10-3 the rest of the quarter to trail 29-21 heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, UNT led by as many as 15, but Houston kept fighting throughout the entire quarter and eventually trailed 53-44 at the end.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars would cut the lead down to four early on, but North Texas would take control from then on out to win 69-53.
Houston struggled mightily shooting the ball, as they only converted 30% from the field and 20% from three-point range.
“People got to be prepared to shoot the basketball,” Hughey said. “We’re getting some driving kicks and people are not prepared to shoot the basketball.”
North Texas sophomore guard Desiree Wooten led the team with 23 points on 69% shooting, while Tommisha Lampkin had herself a double-double with 17 points (7-13 FG) and 10 rebounds.
Blair and Love both finished with 18 and 19 respectively.
Big Easy Classic was anything but easy for Houston
In the tournament opener, Houston lost 61-44, against Minnesota at the Alario Center on Friday. The Cougars outscored Minnesota 15-9 in the final frame, but the deficit was too much for UH to overcome.
Houston kept the score close with their 3-point shooting in the opening frame to only trail by three at the end of the quarter.
Minnesota’s sophomore forward Grace Grocholski initiated a 14-2 run in the second quarter, scoring 10 points on her own.
The Cougars could only manage six points in the period.
The Golden Gophers stayed hot by going on a 11-0 run to lead, 43-19.
Both teams struggled from the field in the final quarter and many of the starters were pulled.
Cooke’s three-point play sparked an 8-0 run to achieve Houston’s largest scoring streak of the game.
Houston’s defense held Minnesota to its lowest point total in any quarter this season with nine points in the fourth quarter.
Blair and Bostock led the Cougars with 10 points each.
Blair’s two made three-pointers in the match made her one of three Cougars to reach 200 career made three-pointers. She joined former UH guards Brittney Scott and Britney Onyeje.
In the second game of the tournament, the Cougars attempted to come back but came up short against Pacific in a 64-60 loss in the second game of the Big Easy Classic.
With 19 seconds remaining, Chevalier attempted the final shot, but the attempt was no good. A foul sent Pacific back to the free-throw line, knocking down both shots to secure its first-ever victory over Houston.
The start of the first quarter was hard fought and the score remained tight, but senior center Elizabeth Elliot sparked a 6-0 run to give Pacific a lead they would hold the rest of the game.
Two deep three-pointers for Pacific put them up by seven, but Houston fought back with a 5-0 run of their own.
The Tigers knocked down a 3-pointer to end the quarter to take a 21-16 advantage.
Houston trailed by as many as 11 points in the second quarter, but a 10-0 run put the Cougars within two.
Pacific responded with two consecutive jumpers by freshman guard Stella Szabo.
The third quarter was a display of tough defensive efforts as Pacific outscored Houston 9-7. The Tigers ended the third frame with a 47-39 lead.
After trailing by as many as eight points in the final quarter, Chevalier knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put Houston within one.
The Cougars fought hard throughout the game, but Pacific’s late free throws were too much to overcome.
Pacific was led to victory by Elliot’s career-high 26 points.
Houston had three players score in double-figures as Cooke recorded 15 points, followed by redshirt senior forward Leilani Augmon with 13 and Blair with 11 points.
Second-half collapse leads to fourth straight loss for Cougars
The team was then defeated 61-57 against UT Arlington at the College Park Center.
The Mavericks opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run and continued to capitalize on the Cougars’ lack of offensive rhythm.
Love scored six of Houston’s nine points in the final frame but was unable to spark a run, which led the Cougars to their fourth straight loss.
Houston used a 5-0 burst in the opening minutes to take a 7-2 lead, but nine points from fifth-year forward Avery Brittingham kept Arlington within striking distance.
Bostock nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to help Houston hold a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Mavericks scored five straight to tie the game at 19, but the Cougars responded with a 5-0 run of their own to regain the lead.
Just before halftime, a tip-in by Merchant gave the Cougars a nine-point lead which was their largest of the game.
Blair scored eight of her 18 points in the quarter, and Houston put together a 7-0 burst to take a 37-32 lead into the locker room.
The Cougars opened the third quarter struggling from the field shooting a measly 23.5 percent in the frame.
The Mavericks quickly took advantage of Houston’s scoring slump, putting together a 12-0 run to grab a narrow two-point lead over UH heading into the final frame.
Love finished with a double-double, her second of the season, posting 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Blair led all scorers with 18 points, moving into fourth place in program history in the category.
Return to the win column
In the Battle of the Cats, the Houston Cougars ended their four-game losing streak, defeating the Southeast Louisiana Lady Lions 70-65.
SE Louisiana came out of the gate as the more threatening in the first quarter, scoring six straight points. However, thanks to Houston’s defense, they forced five turnovers that turned into twelve points to trail only 14-12.
In the second quarter, the Lady Lions again took control early on, scoring nine straight to take a 23-12 lead with six minutes left. But the Coogs once again showed their resilience, outscoring SE Louisiana 22-6 the rest of the way to take a 34-29 lead.
The third quarter was an intense affair as neither team ever really took control, with the biggest lead of the period being the Lady
Lions leading 39-36 with about six minutes left. The quarter would eventually end with the Lions leading 47-45.
In the fourth quarter, thanks to a combined 18 points from Blair and Merchant and accurate free throw shooting at the end, Houston held on to win 70-65.
Despite only playing with seven players and having four get into foul trouble, including having two players foul out near the end of the game, Hughey praised his squad for their resilience.
“That’s the pressure in life you have that you have to overcome,” coach Hughey said. “Because when days like this come, you are prepared for it because you put in the work.”
Blair led the team with 19 points, Love scored 17 points on 50% shooting with nine rebounds, and Merchant scored 14 points off the bench.
Lady Lions junior Lexi Alexander and grad student Alexius Horne both had 18 points for the team.
Last win of non-conference play in dominant fashion
Houston women’s basketball picked up their second straight win with a 98-40 victory over the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils at the Fertitta Center on Tuesday.
The Cougars outscored the Delta Devils in every quarter and held them to just a 21.4% field goal percentage and 12.5% shooting from behind the arc.
Houston’s defense also forced 23 turnovers which led to several open layups and 30 fast break points.
The offense took advantage of the easy buckets and shot 49.3% from the floor and 52% from three.
Houston made 13 3-pointers in the match and Mississippi Valley State had no answer.
They also controlled the paint scoring 38 points down low in this matchup.
The Cougars were firing on all cylinders and led the game by as many as 58 points.
Senior guard Jaylia Reed led the Delta Devils with 10 points in the match. Junior guard D’Yanna Maxey followed with six points and grabbed 10 boards.
Freshman guard Shakira Gresham and junior guard Janiya Jones both had solid games off the bench combining for 11 points and seven rebounds in limited minutes.
Merchant had a breakout game scoring a season-high 30 points with six made threes. She also recorded four assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
Cooke played a big role off the bench scoring 18 points and recording three assists and a pair of steals.
Love continues to be a playmaker for the Cougars as she scored 14 points and added 17 rebounds, three assists, five steals, and two blocked shots.
“Everyone understands their role and what they need to get done, and I’m really excited that they jumped out and said we want to get this last tune-up before the conference,” Hughey said.
With the victory, the Cougars will prepare for their first Big 12 matchup of the season on Dec. 22 against Texas Tech in Lubbock at 2 p.m.
