University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Renew Hostilities with Rice
12/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| HOUSTON COUGARS (1-5) vs. RICE OWLS (0-6) | |
|---|---|
| BUY A SHASTA PASS | UHCougars.com/tickets |
| Date/Time | Saturday • 4 p.m. CT |
| Location | Tudor Fieldhouse • Houston, Texas |
| Live Video | RiceOwls.com |
| Live Audio | UHCougars.com/wbbradio |
| Live Stats | |
| Series History | Houston leads, 51-10 |
| Game Notes | • Houston Notes • Rice Notes • The American Notes |
| Social Media |   |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston Women's Basketball team arrives at one of the marquee dates on the non-conference schedule Saturday when they take part in their annual crosstown rivalry game against Rice. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT at Tudor Fieldhouse on the Rice University campus.
Fans who can't join the Cougars to help paint Tudor Fieldhouse red can follow the rivalry matchup through a variety of platforms. Free live audio is available at UHCougars.com/wbbradio, with Nick Strong 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, fans can watch the game live for a small fee at RiceOwls.com. | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE VIDEO | | TWITTER
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass, the best way to see Houston's 11 remaining regular season home games. For only $50, fans who purchase a Shasta Pass will receive general admission entrance to all 12 home games left on the schedule, including the Jan. 8 game against defending national champion UConn. The Shasta Pass also grants entry to every home game on the 2016 Houston Softball schedule. | CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A SHASTA PASS | FULL SCHEDULE Houston enters the game 1-5 after dropping three close contests at the Lone Star Showcase in Austin, Texas, over Thanksgiving weekend. The Cougars last played Nov. 28, a 64-50 loss to No. 25/21 Iowa. Serithia Hawkins led Houston with 12 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
Rice is 0-6 after an 89-38 loss to No. 4/4 Baylor on Wednesday evening. Jasmine Goodwine paced the Owls with 12 points.
Houston is 51-10 all-time against Rice and has beaten the Owls more than any other opponent over the last 40 seasons of intercollegiate basketball. The Cougars have won four straight from the Owls, and Houston's five-player senior class can cap their careers with an undefeated record against their city rivals with a victory Saturday.
 | THE STARTING FIVE |
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines that you need to know about Houston's game against Rice.
WE RUN H-TOWN - Houston has historically dominated the series vs. city rival Rice, with a 51-10 all-time record against the Owls. UH is 22-5 on the Rice campus, with wins in their last two trips.
DRIVE FOR FIVE - The Cougars have won four consecutive meetings with Rice, including last season's 59-58 triumph.
THE HEART OF TEXAS - Saturday's game is the sixth game in Houston's 10-game non-conference stretch of games in the state of Texas. The Coogs don't leave the Lone Star State until Dec. 30.
BALANCED ATTACK - The Cougars enter the Rice game with four players averaging between seven and 10 points per game. Three Houston players have led the team in scoring this season.
THE FINAL BATTLE - This will be the final Rice game for seniors Marche' Amerson, Tyler Gilbert, Jessieka Palmer, Alecia Smith and Bianca Winslow. UH's seniors have never lost to the Owls.
| HOUSTON ONE-SHOTS |
Here's the one thing you need to know about each member of the Houston roster:
#1 - Chyanne Butler - Butler will be eligible to play the second semester after transferring from USC in January 2015.
#2 - Jacqueline Blake - Blake has started the last five games for Coach Hughey's squad, including all three games at the Lone Star Showcase.
#3 - Bianca Winslow - Winslow started the final 13 games of the 2014-15 season. During that stretch she led Houston with 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
#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 matched a career high with seven assists in the Nov. 22 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
#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 108 points to become the 23rd member of Houston's 1,000-point club.
#23 - Serithia Hawkins - Hawkins has led UH in rebounding in the team's last four games and had nine boards Nov. 28 vs. No. 25/21 Iowa, eight on the offensive end.
#24 - Mariah Mitchell - Mitchell has connected on at least one 3-point field goal in three of her last four games.
#25 - Kierra Graves - Graves matched a career best with three steals against nationally ranked opponents George Washington and Iowa at the Lone Star Showcase.
#32 - Sharayla Brown - Brown scored the first four points of her collegiate career Nov. 26 against No. 24/23 George Washington.
#33 - Tyler Gilbert - Gilbert ranks eighth in Houston history with 94 career blocks, including 12 this season.
#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.
| LAST TIME OUT |
NOV. 28, 2015 • [25/21] IOWA 64, HOUSTON 50 | Final Stats | Photo Gallery Houston outrebounded the nationally ranked Hawkeyes but fell in their Lone Star Showcase finale on Nov. 28 in Austin, Texas.
Hawkins finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, just one board short of a double-double. Eight of the freshman's rebounds came on the offensive glass, and she also finished with a block and a steal.
Gilbert also nearly recorded a double-double, with eight points and seven rebounds, and she also blocked a shot. The senior's blocked shot gave her at least one rejection in five of six games this year, and she now has 94 for her career, eighth in Houston history.
The Hawkeyes came into the Lone Star Showcase outrebounding their opponents by an average of 10 boards per game, but Houston matched the Hawkeyes, 46-all, on the glass. Houston's 26 offensive rebounds marked a season high.
Palmer drained a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points. She finished the Lone Star Showcase with eight 3-pointers over three days.
| REGENTS APPROVE ARENA RENOVATIONS |
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.
| SERIES vs. RICE |
Houston is 51-10 all-time against their city rivals from Rice. The Cougars have beaten the Owls more than any other opponent in school history.
The Cougars have won four consecutive meetings with Rice. Houston's senior class of Amerson, Gilbert, Palmer, Smith and Winslow has never lost to Rice.
Houston beat Rice at the buzzer last season, 59-58, on Dec. 3, 2014. The game featured 24 leads changes and nine ties before UH hit a 3-pointer as time expired.
Head Coach Ronald Hughey is 1-0 vs. Rice after last season's win and 3-0 vs. Conference USA teams after also defeating North Texas and UTSA in 2014-15.
| THE COACHES |
Houston head coach Ronald Hughey is in his second season at Houston, with a career record of 7-29. He is 1-0 against Rice after beating the Owls last season.
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.
Rice head coach Tina Langley is in her first season with the Owls and her first season as a head coach. Her record is 0-6.
| SCOUTING THE OWLS |
Rice is 0-6 after falling to No. 4/4 Baylor on Wednesday, 89-38. Goodwine paced the Owls with 12 points in the loss.
For the season, Shani Rainey is Rice's top producer, at 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Goodwine checks in with 10.0 points per game, and point guard Maya Hawkins dishes a team-best 2.5 assists per game.
Houston will look to take advantage of Rice in the area of rebounding, where the Owls are getting outrebounded by an average of 7.3 boards per game. Wednesday vs. Baylor, the Owls lost the battle on the glass, 57-25.
| KEY STATS FOR HOUSTON |
Houston continues to rank as one of the top teams in the American Athletic Conference on the defensive end. The Cougars rank fourth in the league allowing 62.3 points per game, and their 3.8 blocks per game is also fourth-best in the conference.
Individually, Palmer ranks first in The American with a 47.1 percent 3-point shooting percentage. Gilbert is blocking 2.0 shots per game, the third-best mark in the league.
| MARCHE'S MARCH TO 1,000 POINTS |
Amerson enters the Rice game with 892 career points and is just 108 points shy of Houston's 1,000-point club. At her current career pace of 9.2 points per game, she's on pace to cross the threshold Jan. 20 when the Cougars face Tulsa.
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 Rice game fifth in Houston history with 96 career starts, eighth with 2,995 career minutes, eighth with 277 3-point field goal attempts, and 11th with 79 made 3-point field goals.
Smith is climbing the career 3-point record books, ranking seventh in made 3-pointers (124), fourth in attempts (489) and 10th in minutes (2,688). With her next 3-pointer, she will tie Roxana Button for fourth in school history in that category
Gilbert's shot-blocking explosion from last season vaulted her high on Houston's blocked shots charts. She is currently ranked eighth in school history with 94 rejections and will match Kiemona Harris (2001-05) for seventh with her next swat.
| GUY V. LEWIS BASKETBALL CENTER UPDATE |
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 |
It's a short turnaround for Hughey's team, as they face Incarnate Word on Monday, Dec. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT in San Antonio, Texas.
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 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.
--UHCougars.com--
