Cougars Host Prairie View in Sunday Matinee
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| HOUSTON COUGARS (3-3 • 0-0 American) vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M PANTHERS (1-6 • 0-0 SWAC) | |
|---|---|
| Tickets | BUY Tickets • Tickets Info |
| Questions? | Fan Guide |
| Time | 2 pm CT |
| Location | Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) • Houston |
| Video | UHCougars.com All-Access |
| Radio | UHCougars.com Jeremy Branham, PxP |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | • Houston leads, 15-0 |
| Game Notes | • Houston Notes • Prairie View A&M Notes • The American Notes |
| Social Media |   |
HOUSTON - Just four days off of their most exhilarating victory in years, the University of Houston women's basketball team looks to capitalize on their momentum and move above .500 when they host Prairie View A&M on Sunday, December 7. Tickets are available for just $8 as the Cougars host a 2 pm CT tipoff.
Subscribers can watch the game live at UHCougars.com All-Access, and a free live audio broadcast is available through Houston's Stretch Internet Portal. Live Twitter updates can be accessed throughout the game by following the official UH women's basketball account, @UHCougarWBB.
The Cougars enter the game at 3-3 overall after a last-second 59-58 victory over Rice on Wednesday night. The Panthers are 1-6 and also won on Wednesday, 90-38, over Schreiner.
LAST TIME OUT - Houston 59, Rice 58 | Final Stats | Highlights | Postgame Press Conference
Alexia Sanders hit a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to carry the Cougars past Rice, 59-58, on Wednesday, December 3.
Tyler Gilbert recorded her first career double-double and set career highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Gilbert was 8-for-13 from the floor and added two blocked shots.
Jessieka Palmer added 14 points for Houston, while the final basket by Sanders gave the sophomore her first 10-point game of the season. She also set a career-high with five steals.
The game was incredibly tight for the entire evening, as the Cougars and Owls played within an 11-point window. Rice's largest lead was 35-28 with 17:36 left in the game, while the Cougars never led by more than four points after scoring the first two buckets of the game.
The Cougars set a season high as a team by shooting 80.0% (8-for-10) from the free throw line. They also posted a season-best 45.5% (5-for-11) clip from three-point territory.
Houston has won four straight games against Rice, and holds a 51-10 all-time edge over the Owls.
The last one-point win for the Cougars was a 71-70 double overtime victory over Tulane on February 17, 2013 in New Orleans, La. Te'onna Campbell scored the game-winner with :04 left.
THE SHOT FOR THE AGES
Houston earned their most exciting victory of the season on December 3 when Sanders hit a three-point buzzer-beater in a 59-58 victory over Rice.
Houston was down two points and had the length of the court to go with :5.5 on the clock. Junior Alecia Smith took the inbounds pass and dribbled down the middle of the court. After crossing the center stripe, she passed to Sanders on the right wing, and Sanders connected on a 22-footer as time expired to seal the victory.
"I was just trying to do whatever I could to help my team win," said Sanders. "(Alecia) had the drive, but she kicked it to me and I just shot it. It went in and the refs said (it was) good."
"We wanted (Alecia) to be able to shovel it out to (Alexia) and her to be able to get a mid-range pull up," Houston head coach Ronald Hughey said of the final play. "Well, the unexpected thing was (Alexia) shooting the three. I'm just super excited that she had enough confidence to take it."
The three-pointer was just the third of the season for Sanders and the fifth of her collegiate career.
GILBERT'S CAREER NIGHT PART OF JUNIOR YEAR EXPLOSION
After averaging 2.8 points and blocking 16 shots last season, junior Tyler Gilbert has shown a tremendous post presence in 2014-15. Gilbert is averaging 7.7 points per game and has blocked 12 shots already.
Against Rice on December 3, Gilbert recorded her first career double-double and set career highs with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Gilbert has rejected at least one shot in every game this season, including equaling her career high of three blocks on two separate occasions. At 2.0 bpg, Gilbert is one of just five American Athletic Conference players to average at least two blocks in a game.
The third-year player led Houston with 10 points in the season-opening win over North Texas, and she added nine points on November 29 against No. RV/23 James Madison.
PALMER RANKS AS HOUSTON'S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Palmer has made her third season the best of her collegiate career so far and is averaging 12.8 ppg with a 50.8% field goal percentage through the first six contests. The numbers are even better for Palmer in the last five games, as she is averaging 14.8 ppg over that stretch.
The La Marque, Texas native averaged 4.4 ppg as a sophomore and 3.9 ppg as a freshman, making her the most improved player on the Houston roster so far.
Palmer was named to the American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Honor Roll on November 24, becoming Houston's first ever individual honoree in their American tenure.
The junior set a career high with 20 points in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on November 21, and she nearly matched it with 18 points vs. No. RV/23 James Madison on November 29. She has hit double-figures in five straight games from November 17 - December 3, a personal best. She had reached double-digits in 10 games total over her first two seasons.
Palmer ranks in The American's top-15 in scoring, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
SERIES HISTORY vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Houston is 15-0 all-time against Prairie View. The Panthers are the only team that Houston has played more than nine times without losing.
Though Prairie View went on to win the 2014 SWAC Championship and compete in the NCAA Tournament, they were no match for Houston last season. The Cougars won a 74-46 contest on December 1, 2013 at Hofheinz Pavilion, with Gilbert and Bianca Winslow scoring 10 points each in the easy triumph. | Final Stats SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Prairie View is 1-6 on the season and earned their first victory of the year, 90-38, on December 3 against Schreiner. Jeanette Jackson led the Panthers with 22 points in the victory, and Lamaria Cole added 18. | Final Stats
Jackson is Prairie View's top performer through seven games, averaging 18.9 points and 3.6 assists per game. She has drained 15 three-pointers and leads PVAMU with 10 steals.
The Panthers have played a very ambitious schedule through three and a half weeks. Prior to their victory over Schreiner, they had lost non-conference games to Rice, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M, Hawaii, Stanford and North Carolina.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston faces off with a leading national championship contender on Saturday, December 13 when they travel to College Station for a matchup with No. 5/5 Texas A&M. The Aggies are undefeated through December 3, and their game vs. Houston tips off at 1:30 pm CT.
The Cougars are 32-22 all-time against Texas A&M, including 11-10 in College Station.
Houston's next home game is also their American Athletic Conference opener, on December 27 vs. UCF. | TICKETS STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive daily information and in-game updates by following @UHCougarWBB on Twitter. Fans can also catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at facebook.com/UHCougarWBB
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets for the 2014-15 women's basketball season by clicking here and visiting the official Athletics Ticket Office Page at UHCougars.com. Season tickets start at just $99.
To purchase tickets in person, fans can visit the Athletics Ticket Stadium Office located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium, just outside of Gate 1 off Cullen Boulevard. Parking is available in the TDECU Stadium parking garage with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m.
Under Hughey's leadership, the Cougars will play 11 contests against teams who qualified for NCAA postseason play a year ago with eight of those against American Athletic Conference rivals.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular-season women's basketball home games with a valid student ID.
--UHCougars.com--
