University of Houston Athletics
Houston Opens Conference Play at NR/RV Tulane
12/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON â€" The Houston Cougar Women's basketball team will open American Athletic Conference play when they take on the NR/RV Tulane Green Wave, at the Avron B. Fogelman Arena in Devin Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Dec. 30, in New Orleans, La.
Fans who can't join the Cougars in New Orleans on Wednesday can follow the game through a variety of outlets. Free live audio is available at UHCougars.com/wbbradio, with Gerald Sanchez on the call. Also, will provide an up-to-the-second numerical breakdown, while the official Twitter account of Houston Women's Basketball, @UHCougarWBB, will post periodic updates. Last but not least, live video is available via The American Digital Network. | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE VIDEO | | TWITTER
Houston (4-7) has won three of their last five games, despite falling in their non-conference finale 55-45 against UTRGV on Dec. 20. Houston has won three straight games on the road dating back to a 62-59 victory over crosstown rival Rice on Dec. 5.
Tulane (9-3) wrapped non-conference play on a six-game winning streak including a 66-58 win over Saint Louis in the championship game of the Tulane Classic. Senior Tierra Jones led the Green Wave with 10 points and 14 boards, while senior Chinwe Duru earned tournament MVP honors.
THE STARTING FIVE
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines that you need to know about Houston's game against Tulane.
CONFERENCE OPENER- Houston open's its third season of American Athletic Conference play. The Cougars are 0-2 in American Conference openers but are 18-15 all time when opening conference.
SHORT JAUNT - The Cougars hit the road for just one game before returning home to continue American athletic conference play on Sat. January 2, when they host Temple.
FAMILIAR FOE - Houston and Tulane have met 36 times on the hardwood. The Green Wave own the all-time series record at 23-13. The Cougars are 6-9 in New Orleans, La.
FRESHMAN SENSATION - Freshman Serithia Hawkins ended an impressive first half of the season with her first career double-double against UTRGV. Hawkins leads all American freshmen in points and rebounds.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME - Houston has impressed on the road this season compiling a 3-1 record in true road games. The Cougars have won three-straight on the road dating back to a 62-59 victory over Rice on Dec. 5.
HOUSTON ONE-SHOTS
Here's the one thing you need to know about each member of the Houston roster:
#1 - Chyanne Butler - Butler made her Houston debut Dec. 17 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, scoring four points.
#2 - Jacqueline Blake - Blake exploded for her first career double-double Dec. 7 at Incarnate Word, with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
#3 - Bianca Winslow - Winslow returned from a seven-game injury absence on Dec. 12 vs. UNLV and led the Cougars with four assists.
#5 - Dionna Collins - A finalist for the 2014-15 WBCA Junior College Player of the Year award, Collins will redshirt in 2015-16 due to NCAA transfer requirements.
#10 - Cenecia Newman - Newman was instant offense at the Lone Star Showcase, scoring 12 points in just 20 minutes of court time.
#12 - Brianne Coffman - Coffman will redshirt in 2015-16 due to NCAA transfer requirements. She spent her first two collegiate seasons at Oklahoma State.
#15 - Alecia Smith - Smith graduated with a B.S. in kinesiology Dec. 17. Later that night, she scored six points in Houston's win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
#21 - Jessieka Palmer - Palmer erupted for six 3-pointers and a career-best 25 points against No. 24/23 George Washington on Nov. 26.
#22 - Marche' Amerson - Amerson needs 42 points to become the 23rd member of Houston's 1,000-point club.
#23 - Serithia Hawkins - Hawkins was named American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week after her first-career double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) against UTRGV on Dec. 20.
#24 - Mariah Mitchell - Mitchell has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in six of her last eight games.
#25 - Kierra Graves - Graves had her first double-digit scoring effort as a Cougar with 12 points in the Incarnate Word victory and followed it up with 10 points vs. UNLV.
#32 - Sharayla Brown - Brown scored the first four points of her collegiate career Nov. 26 against No. 24/23 George Washington and made her first start Dec. 5 at Rice.
#33 - Tyler Gilbert - With her next rejection, Gilbert will become the sixth player in Houston history to tally 100 career blocks.
#35 - Taylor Gilbert - Gilbert received a medical hardship redshirt due to career-ending knee injuries. She remains on scholarship and is an active part of team functions.
HAWKINS HONORED BY AMERICAN IN CONSECUTIVE WEEKS
Just one week after being named to the American Conference Weekly Honor Roll, freshman Serithia Hawkins was named American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week on Dec. 21, after a week that saw the rookie averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game.
Hawkins sealed the deal with her first career double-double when she dropped 13 points and tallied 11 rebounds in the non-conference finale against UTRGV on Dec. 20.
LAST TIME OUT • DEC. 20, 2015 • UTRGV 55, HOUSTON 45 | Final Stats
Houston dropped its non-conference finale, 55-45, Dec. 20 against UTRGV.
Freshman Serithia Hawkins was named Player of the Game by Houston head coach Ronald Hughey her first-career double-double. Hawkins scored 13 points and collected 11 rebounds en route to earning American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week honors.
The two teams entered the locker room at the half with the score tied at 23, despite the Coguars holding the Vaqueros to just 33 percent from the field on 10-of-30 shooting. UTRGV used a 10-4 run at the end of the third quarter to take a 42-36 lead into the final period, and the Cougars could never get back within four points.
Defense was what kept Houston in the game. The Cougars held UTRGV to 55 points marking the fifth time this season the Cougars have held an opponent under 60 points
Senior Marche' Amerson scored five points in the contest and now has 942 career points.
SERIES vs. TULANE
Houston is 13-23 all-time against Tulane, including a 6-9 mark in New Orleans, La.
The Cougars last played the Green Wave in the First Round of the American Athletic Conference Championship on March 6, 2015, a 64-39 loss in Uncasville, Conn. Jessieka Palmer and Mariah Mitchell led the Cougars with seven points apiece.
THE COACHES
Houston head coach Ronald Hughey is in his second season at Houston, with a career record of 10-30. He has never faced UTRGV.
Hughey accumulated a 163-154 (.514) career record in 10 seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant coach at South Carolina State, South Carolina, UCF, Rutgers, Texas and Florida State. He is a veteran of seven postseason tournaments (6 NCAA, 1 NIT) including two NCAA Second Rounds (2013, 2014), four NCAA First Rounds (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and one WNIT Second Round (2008).
A vaunted recruiter, Hughey orchestrated multiple national top-15 recruiting classes at both Texas and Florida State. At Houston, he signed an eight-player recruiting class in 2014-15, including two NJCAA All-Americans and four players rated as 3-star recruits by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
Hughey brought five more highly regarded recruits into the Houston program in the early 2015 signing period. Included in the group is Lufkin, Texas, native Natasha Mack, the first ESPN Hoopgurlz national top-100 recruit of his head coaching tenure.
Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton has a 510-245 record in her 25th season as a head coach, including a 447-219 record in 22 years with the Green Wave.
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE
Tulane ended the non-conference portion of its schedule on a six-game winning streak and sports a 9-3 record heading to American play.
The Green Wave won games on back-to-back days on Dec. 20 and 21 against UNC Greensboro (74-53) and Saint Louis (66-58) to win the Tulane Classic.
Stockton's team remains perfect at home, compiling a 6-0 record throughout the first half of the season.
Kolby Morgan leads the way for the Tulane offense averaging 16.7 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent (27-66) from behind the 3-point line. Tierra Jones leads the Green Wave on the board averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.
KEY STATS FOR HOUSTON
After ranking at the bottom of The American in rebounding last season, the Cougars are starting to assert themselves on the glass. UH is outrebounding their opponents by 1.6 boards per game.
Defense continues to be the best side of the ball for the Cougars, who rank fourth in The American in points allowed per game (61.4).
MARCHE'S MARCH TO 1,000 POINTS
Amerson enters the UTRGV game with 942 career points and is just 58 points shy of Houston's 1,000-point club. At her current career pace of 7.5 points per game, she's on pace to cross the threshold Jan. 23, when the Cougars face Temple in Philadelphia, Pa.
When she accomplishes the feat, Amerson will be Houston's 23rd 1,000-point scorer. Current Atlanta Dream standout Sancho Lyttle (2003-05) occupies the 22nd spot, with 1,092 career points, while Ann Moon (1977-81) checks in at No. 21 with 1,094 points.
MILESTONE WATCH
Amerson isn't the only Cougar who is climbing the Cougar record books in 2015-16, and her journey to 1,000 points isn't the only number to monitor this season. The senior from Bryan, Texas, enters the Tulane game fifth in Houston history with 100 career starts, sixth with 3,133 minutes and eighth with 92 made 3-point field goals and 309 3-point field goal attempts.
Smith is climbing the career 3-point record books, ranking sixth in made 3-pointers (127), fourth in attempts (508) and ninth in minutes (2,933). With two more 3-pointers, she will match Tye Jackson (2005-09) for fifth in Houston history in the category.
Gilbert climbed two spots on the Houston career shot-blocking charts with her three rejections in the UNLV game. She is now ranked sixth in school history with 99 blocks, and she's chasing Toni Mooney, who finished her career with 122 blocks, for fifth place.
REGENTS APPROVE RENOVATIONS TO BASKETBALL ARENA
The University of Men's and Women's Basketball programs moved closer to a new competition home facility when school regents approved the start of the design process for the renovation of the Houston Basketball arena during its meeting Nov. 19.
Regents approved a project budget of up to $60 million with an anonymous donor pledging a $20 million gift to facilitate the arena's renovation.
Design work is scheduled to begin in March 2016 with construction starting one year later. Plans for the Cougars' home facility during the 2017-18 season have not been finalized and will be announced at a later date. The renovated facility is expected to be ready for game competition for the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
"This project has been long overdue, and we are grateful that Dr. Khator and our Board of Regents saw the need for this step with our basketball arena," Vice President for Athletics Hunter Yurachek said. "We look forward to starting the design process in the next few months and creating a facility that will provide the highest level of amenities to our fans and a significant home-court advantage for our Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes."
Preliminary estimated capacity for the renovated arena will be reduced to 7,420 from its current seating bowl of 8,479. However, initial plans call for the court level to be raised three feet with fan seating moved closer to the court as part of an emphasis to improve the overall fan experience.
More than 2,000 premium seats will be developed to give fans the ultimate luxury seating options. That total includes a preliminary design of 1,750 club seats, 20 loge boxes with four seats in each, two open-air suites with 32 seats per unit and 90 courtside seats.
The arena's concourse level will be expanded to improve circulation with significant upgrades to the sound system, video board and arena seating.
Guy V. Lewis BASKETBALL CENTER NEARS COMPLETION | Live Webcam
The Houston Women's Basketball held their first full practice in the brand new Guy V. Lewis Basketball Center on Nov. 24, and they will move into the full facility in just a few short days. Once completed, the $25 million facility will be the home base for both Cougar hoops squads.
Designed by DLR Group and Page, the new Development Center is located adjacent to Hofheinz Pavilion at the corner of Cullen Boulevard and Holman Street on the UH campus.
The 53,000 square-foot facility will provide the environment that the Houston Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes need to excel throughout the season in all areas. The first level will house a dedicated practice court for each team as well as sports performance and sports medicine areas, which will be used by both programs.
The second level will feature the teams' areas, which include locker rooms and academic/film theaters. The team rooms contain spacious, modern lockers, multiple video screens for television and comfortable furniture. The third level will hold office space for both Men's and Women's Basketball coaching and support staffs.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
The Cougars continue American Athletic Conference play with their first home conference game of the season when they host Temple on Saturday, Jan. 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
$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 remaining Houston Women's Basketball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial savings as single-game tickets start at $8 for all four sports. 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.
