University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
5-11, 2-4
Rice
10-9, 3-3
Women's Basketball Falls To Rice 70-56
1/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2007
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HOUSTON - A double-double by Rice's Lauren Neaves, coupled with a poor shooting night for the University of Houston women's basketball team, helped the Owls to the 70-56 win, Rice's first over Houston at Autry Court in over a decade, Sunday in Conference USA action.
Rice's last win over its longtime rival on the home court came on Feb. 10, 1996 by nearly an identical score. That night, UH fell by a 70-57 margin. Neaves finished the night with a game-high 23 points and 19 rebounds. Tye Jackson (Houston, Texas/Westfield HS/Purdue) and Sunshine Misa-Uli (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Farrington HS/Barton County CC) led Houston with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
The Cougars (5-11, 2-4 C-USA) and the Owls (10-9, 3-3 C-USA) both played with short benches, suiting up seven and eight players, respectively. After both Sha'Quaylon McKinney (Dallas, Texas/Skyline HS/Trinity Valley CC) and Misa-Uli fouled out, UH was forced to play the final three minutes with no substitutions.
Rice built on its 37-27 halftime lead with a 10-4 run over the first 4:33 of the second half, leading 47-31 with 15:27 remaining. An 8-4 run by UH over five minutes pulled the lead back to single digits at 53-44 with 8:01 to go. A 15-6 Rice run out of the final media timeout put the game away as UH trailed by 20, 70-50, with 90 seconds left. Houston fought until the buzzer as Jackson sunk a long three to put the final difference at 14, 70-56.
Houston had a disappointing night from the floor, shooting just a shade over 30 percent (22-73), including a 3-14 (.214) effort from the free-throw line. Whitney James (Edmond, Okla/Edmond Memorial HS/North Oklahoma College), who had averaged 15.2 ppg in the last five outings finished with just six points on a 2-12 shooting night. Jackson struggled from the floor as well, finishing 6-25. Ashlee Joseph (Houston, Texas/Booker T. Washington HS) pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds.
Rice started the game on a 6-1 run, which was quickly reeled in as UH knotted things at eight with 16:06 remaining. Rice pulled off an 11-0 run over 3:12 to lead by 10, 21-11, with 10:19 left. UH had it down to single digits twice but a pair of free throws by Tara Watts gave the Owls the ten-point cushion at the break.
Kadie Riverin finished with 16 points for Rice while Samantha Stovall grabbed 10 rebounds. UH had just 11 turnovers, its second-lowest total of the season.
UH returns to Hofheinz Pavilion Thursday, taking on Tulsa at 7 p.m. CST, kicking off a four-game homestand. The Cougars will face off with SMU at 2 p.m. Sunday.
