Sophomore guard Kierra Merchant drives to the baseline against West Virginia defender at the Fertitta Center. |Karolina Navarro/The Cougar.
Houston women’s basketball lost to No. 18 West Virginia 79-51 on Feb. 8 at the Fertitta Center on Feb. 8.
The Cougars’ roster woes persisted as they could only suit up six players for the contest.
The Cougars got off to a sloppy start, as the Mountaineers had a 20-0 burst to start the game. Houston struggled offensively, committing 11 turnovers in the period.
Senior guard J.J. Quinerly led the charge for the Mountaineers in the first quarter with 20 points, securing a strong 25-4 lead to end the quarter.
In a back-and-forth thriller in the second quarter, UH found its rhythm and was able to keep up with the Mountaineer’s fierce offense.
The Cougars outscored WVU in the period to close the gap to 42-33 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Cougars struggled to control the basketball committing six turnovers in the period. UH continued to fight to close the gap; however, WVU retained a strong offensive presence.
The Mountaineers were led by junior guard Syndey Shaw, who scored 13 points in the third quarter.
The Cougars began to gain momentum in the final quarter to try to close the gap and outscore WVU 20-18. However, their efforts could not give them their first lead of the game, and the Cougars fell to the Mountaineers 79-51.
Quinrley led WVU with 20 points and six assists, followed by junior guard Jordan Harrison with 14 points.
The Mountaineers dominated offensively with an impressive 51% field goal percentage.
The Cougars were led by redshirt sophomore guard Gigi Cooke with 16 points, despite her fouling out in the fourth quarter. Cooke was supported by graduate guard Laila Blair, who scored ten points and five assists, and sophomore guard Kierra Merchant, who led the boards for the Cougars with ten rebounds.
Much of the Cougar’s offensive struggles can be pointed toward their high turnover count during the game, with 26 in the matchup.
West Virginia was able to capitalize on the Cougars’ mistakes, with 39 of their 79 points from turnovers. The Mountaineers also dominated down low, with 44 points in the paint.
With the extension of Houston’s seven-game losing streak, they are now 1-12 in conference and 5-19 overall. They will resume conference play on Feb. 15 against Colorado.
