University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
1-2
Louisiana-Lafayette
2-1
Houston Outlasts UL, 52-51, to Earn First Win
11/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON - Serithia Hawkins tallied 14 points and eight rebounds while Marche' Amerson hit a clutch 3-pointer in the closing stages of the game as the University of Houston Women's Basketball team edged Louisiana-Lafayette, 52-51, Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion. The victory is the first for the Cougars in 2015-16.
"I am just so happy for the ladies that are in this program and everyone who has signed to be in this program," Houston head coach Ronald Hughey said. "The people outside of Houston do not know about the resilience that we grow here on campus. That is the one thing that we want to display every time we step on the floor. That resilience is going to carry us for a long, long way."
Houston's trademark passion on defense lifted Hughey's club to the victory. The Ragin' Cajuns came into the contest averaging 81.5 points per game but were held 30 points under their average and shot just 39.6 percent.
"I am just happy for them because all the hard work is paying off," Hughey said. "We knew we were close; we have been holding teams to 34 and 35 percent shooting. We have been missing out because we turn the ball over a little bit or we didn't make some shots, but I knew it was coming and I am just so happy for them."
 | THE BASICS |
Score: Houston 52, Louisiana-Lafayette 51
Records: Houston 1-2, Louisiana-Lafayette 2-1
Date: Sunday, November 22, 2015
Location: Houston, Texas (Hofheinz Pavilion)
| TURNING POINT |
Two Kierra Graves free throws with 3:31 left gave the Cougars a 49-48 lead in the back-and-forth battle, and after losing the lead, the Cougars got back in on an Amerson 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark that made the score 52-51. Neither team scored again, and when UL's last-ditch 3-pointer missed the rim at the buzzer, Houston had their first win of the season.
"Coach Hughey believed in me, and I felt like my teammates believed in me," Amerson said of the winning shot. "So I just let it go, and when it went in, it was like the best feeling ever."
| TOP PERFORMERS |
Houston: Hawkins was ultra-efficient, going 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from both the free throw line and 3-point range. The rookie has now led Houston in the scoring column in two of her three regular-season games. Amerson scored 10 points, and fellow senior Alecia Smith matched a career high with seven assists.
Louisiana-Lafayette: Kia Wilridge scored 19 points, and Jaylyn Gordon added 10 points to go with a team-best four assists. Keke Veal came off the bench to score 12 points.
| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
- Houston shot 38.8 percent (19-for-49) from the field, 36.8 percent (7-for-19) from 3-point range and 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from the charity stripe.
- The Ragin' Cajuns finished with a 39.6 percent (19-for-48) shooting clip, along with 25.0 percent (3-for-12) from long range and 50.0 percent (10-for-20) from the line.
- The Cougars dominated the glass, collecting 36 rebounds to Louisiana's 28.
- Graves and Jessieka Palmer each finished with five rebounds, as did freshman Sharayla Brown. The newcomer turned in a very effective seven minutes, including two blocked shots.
- Smith matched her career best of seven assists for the third time overall and the first time this season. She spent less than a minute of the game on the bench, nearly playing all 40.
- Mariah Mitchell hit a pair of 3-point field goals and scored eight points, a season high.
- Graves tallied a stellar all-around game, with nine points, five rebounds and three assists.
- Louisiana-Lafayette won the first quarter, 15-7, and Houston won the second, 23-12, to take a 30-27 halftime lead. The Ragin' Cajuns won the third quarter, 16-10, but the Cougars won the game by squeezing out the final quarter, 12-8.
- The topsy-turvy game features nine lead changes and five ties.
- Houston outscored the Ragin' Cajuns, 15-4, over the final five minutes of the second quarter. Five different Cougars scored in the run, including five points from Hawkins.
- Hawkins scored 11 points in Houston's 23-point second quarter explosion. Both numbers are season highs for the Cougars.
| NEWS & NOTES |
- Amerson is now up to 884 points after her season-best 10-point effort. She is 116 points from 1,000 for her career.
- The senior also moved into fifth in school history in games started (93) and ninth in school history in 3-point attempts (273).
- Smith was 1-for-6 from 3-point land and moved into fourth in program history with 470 long-range attempts.
- The Cougars have now won the rebounding battle in two consecutive games.
- Louisiana-Lafayette had scored 82 in their season-opening victory against Ole Miss and 81 more against Southern-New Orleans before being stymied by Houston Sunday.
- Freshman Cenecia Newman made her collegiate debut Sunday
- The Cougars are now 8-1 all-time against the Ragin' Cajuns. Sunday's matchup was the first between the schools since 1999.
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
The Cougars will spend Thanksgiving weekend in Austin, Texas, at the inaugural Lone Star Showcase. The Coogs will face No. 22/20 George Washington Thanksgiving Day at 1:30 p.m., Wright State on Nov. 27 at 11 a.m., and No. RV/22 Iowa on Nov. 28 at 11 a.m. Ticket packages are available at CedarParkBasketball.com.
Houston returns to Hofheinz Pavilion Dec. 12, when they take on UNLV. Tickets are available at UHCougars.com/tickets as the Cougars and Runnin' Rebels share the court for the first time since Dec. 22, 1994, a 77-64 Houston victory.
| $50 SHASTA PASS NOW AVAILABLE |
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2015-16 athletic season. For only $50, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Women's Basketball, Volleyball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial savings as single-game tickets start at $8 for all four sports. Fans can save $126 alone during the Houston fall sports seasons. To purchase a Shasta Pass, CLICK HERE.
| 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.
--UHCougars.com--
