University of Houston Athletics
Houston's First Road Trip Yields UNLV
11/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS â€" The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team is on the road for the first time in 2016-17, when they head to Las Vegas to meet UNLV inside Cox Pavilion. Tipoff for the contest is set for 8 p.m. CT, and will air on the Mountain West Network.
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is proud to offer the Shasta Pass, the best way to see Houston's 14 regular season home games. For only $80, fans who purchase a Shasta Pass will receive general admission entrance to all 14 home game. The Shasta Pass also grants entry to all remaining 2015 Houston Volleyball home matches and every home game on the 2017 Houston Softball schedule. | CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A SHASTA PASS | FULL SCHEDULE
Fans can watch live video when the Cougars meet the Rebels via the Mountain West Network. Fans can find the game by visiting TheMWC.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking HERE. Live statistics are available through , and the official Twitter account of Houston Women's Basketball, @UHCougarWBB, will offer updates throughout the game. | | TWITTER
THE STARTING FIVE
Here are five names, numbers, news items and storylines that you need to know about the UNLV game.
So Long Houston - Tuesday's game will be the first road trip of the 2016-17 season for Houston. After the matchup with UNLV, the Cougars will head further west to meet Long Beach State.
Who Are You? - The Cougars and Rebels renewed hostilities last season when UNLV won a 63-60 thriller, but the squads have not met in Las Vegas since 1994.
New Faces - Three Cougars made their Houston debut in the matchup against Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday. Freshmen Angela Harris and Jasmyne Harris and junior Brianne Coffman played in their first games.
Road Debut â€" Houston is 1-1 in road openers under Head Coach Ronald Hughey. Hughey's squad beat UNT on the road in his first season before falling to College of Charleston last year.
On The Dockett - Tuesday's road opener is one of 14 games that the Cougars will face on the road in 2016-17. Houston has 14 home games and a neutral site matchup.
HOUSTON ONE-SHOTS
Here's the one thing you need to know about each member of the Houston roster:
#0 â€" Angela Harris - Made her collegiate debut with a team-high 22 points including 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
#1 â€" Chyanne Butler - Butler dropped 13 points in the season opener against Southeastern
Louisiana after making her first start.
#2 â€" Jacqueline Blake - Dropped a career-best 15 points in the season opener the Cougars, finishing the contest 4-of-6 from the field.
#3 â€" Dorian Branch- The nation's No. 18 wing from the Class of 2016, Branch is a 5-10 forward from Dallas, Texas.
#4 â€" Jasmyne Harris - Scored nine points and pulled down eight rebounds in her collegiate debut against Southeastern Louisiana.
#5 â€" Dionna Collins - The Cougars are excited to get Collins on the court after missing the 2015-16 season due to transfer rules.
#10 â€" Cecnecia Newman - Newman saw valuable minutes as a freshman in 2015-16 season and even eared a pair of starts for the Cougars.
#12 â€" Brianne Coffman - Impressed on the glass in her Houston debut with seven rebounds in 15 minutes against the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana.
#14 â€" Quatera Limbrick - Limbrick finished her career at Episcopal High School in Sugar Land as the No. 74 point guard in the country. She's a dual threat who can score and distribute.
#23 â€" Serithia Hawkins - Hawkins earned unanimous American Conference All-Freshman honors last season after leading the Coogs in points and rebounds per game.
#24 â€" Mariah Mitchell - Houston's most tenured player, Mitchell has appeared in 60 games for the
Cougars while making 27 starts in her first two seasons plus the opener.
#25 â€" Kierra Graves - Graves started 20 games for the 2015-16 Cougars after transferring in from Kaskaskia College and averaged 6.4 points per contest.
#32 â€" Sharayla Brown - Brown appeared in 24 games while making five starts in her freshman season while adding depth in the front court.
#35 â€" Kelsey Briggs - Briggs will redshirt the 2016-17 season due to transfer rules after joining the Cougars from Ole Miss this year.
SERIES vs. UNLV
Tuesday's contest marks the seventh time that the Cougars will meet the Rebels on the hardwood, and the fifth in Las Vegas.
UNLV holds a 5-1 all-time advantage in the series and a 3-1 mark on their home court. The last time the two squads met was in 2015, when the Cougars dropped a heartbreaker 63-60 in Houston.
The last time the two teams met in Nevada was Houston's only win in the series. On December 22, 1994 the Cougars knocked off the Rebels 77-64.
THE COACHES
Houston head Coach Ronald Hughey is in his third season at Houston, with a career record of 13-48. This will be his second meeting against UNLV, and he is 0-1 all-time against the Rebels.
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.
UNLV head coach Kathy Oliver is in her ninth season with the Rebels and her 24th overall as a head coach. Oliver holds a 117-135 record in Las Vegas, while her career record stands at 348-343.
SCOUTING THE REBELS
UNLV opened its season at Cox Pavilion with a matchup against Concordia (Calif.), where the Rebels outscored their opponent 102-45. The Rebels were led on the offensive end by Dakota Johnson and Paris Strawther who scored 17 and 16 points respectively. On the glass, Katie Powell pulled down 11 rebounds while Strawther completed her double-double with 10 rebounds including five on the offensive end.
The Rebels left no doubt, outscoring Concordia 30-2 in the first quarter. UNLV took a 54-17 lead into the half and ended the contest shooting 50 percent (39-78) from the field including a 6-12 (50 percent) mark from beyond the 3-point line.
HOUSTON'S RETURNERS
The Cougars bring back six letterwinners from last year's club, including three primary starters.
Serithia Hawkins returns for her sophomore season after earning a unanimous American Athletic Conference All-Freshman team selection last season. Hawkins led the Cougars in both points per game (8.8) and rebounder per game (7.4) during her rookie season and started 28 of Houston's 30 contests.
Kierra Graves earned the starting 2-guard role midway through the season and made starts in 20 of Houston's 30 games. Graves contributed 6.4 points per contest while creating 35 steals in 23.6 minutes per game.
After missing the first half of the season due to transfer rules, Chyanne Butler became the starting point guard midway through the season. In limited action, Butler averaged 5.6 points per game, while tallying 26 assists in 15 contests.
Mariah Mitchell is Houston's most tenured player, appearing in 60 games over her first two seasons with the Coogs. The junior averaged 5.1 points per game a year ago and shot 30.2 percent from behind the arc.
Sophomore Sharayla Brown and Cenecia Newman saw valuable minutes in their first season on campus last year. Brown averaged 1.3 rebounds per contest in 24 games in 2015-16, while Newman made two starts and scored 1.5 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT • NOV. 13, 2016 • HOUSTON 83, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 80 | Final Stats
The Houston Cougar Women's Basketball team opened the 2016-17 regular season in thrilling fashion with an 83-80 win over Southeastern Louisiana inside Hofheinz Pavilion on Sunday.
The game opened as a back-and-forth affair with each team trading baskets for the majority of the first quarter. After a pair of free throws from senior Jacqueline Blake with 4:11 remaining in the period, the
Cougars went on an 11-0 run to take the lead 22-13. Houston held the Lions without a field goal for the final 5:53 of the quarter to take a 27-17 lead at the break.
The momentum shifted in the second quarter, as Southeastern Louisiana found themselves on a run of their own. Sparked by 14 first half points by Taylin Underwood, the Lions outscored the Cougars 24-10 in the second and took a 41-37 lead into the half.
With the game tight in the fourth quarter, the Lions were able to hang around, but it was a 7-0 run by the Cougars that put the game out of reach. With the Cougars down 72-71, Chyanne Butler drained a jumper and Jasmyne Harris hit a pair of free throws to give the Coogs the lead for good at 75-72. For good measure, Harris made another 3-pointer on the next possession to bring the score to 78-72.
UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Houston continues its first road trip of the 2016-17 season, when they head even further west to meet Long Beach State on Friday, Nov. 18. Game time for the meeting with the 49ers is 9 p.m. CT.
PURCHASE A SHASTA PASS
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2016-17 athletic season. For just $80, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Softball home games. Fans can order a Shasta Pass by clicking .
FLOOR SEATS SEASON TICKET PACKAGE
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office also offers a Floor Seats season ticket package. For just $250, fans will have courtside access to all 14 Houston home games in 2016-17. Fans can purchase a season ticket package for Floor Seats by clicking HERE.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Single-game tickets for all 14 games inside Hofheinz Pavilion are on sale now via the Houston Athletics Ticket Office. Prices begin at just $5 for general admission seats and range up to $20 for floor seats. General admission group tickets are offered to parties of 10+ for $3 each. Single-game tickets can be purchased HERE.
FERTITTA PLEDGES $20 MILLION TO ATHLETICS
Tilman J. Fertitta, globally recognized entrepreneur and Chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents, presented a historic $20 million gift to the University of Houston to transform the UH basketball arena into a state of the art collegiate sports facility and rename the arena Fertitta Center. Fertitta's gift is the largest individual donation to UH Athletics.
The Fertitta gift is a significant step forward in the $60 million University of Houston Basketball capital renewal project for the center's design and renovation. Design work is currently underway. Renovations and construction are scheduled to follow the 2016-17 season, with completion expected during the 2018-19 season. Plans for the Cougars' home facility during the 2017-18 season have not been finalized.
The facility will feature a premium club area and a courtside club. The reconfigured bowl will move mid-court seating locations closer to game action with floor-level seating opposite the team benches for UH students. Renovations include a new audio system, sports lighting and video boards as well as new concession stands and expanded restrooms. The facility's exterior also will be refreshed.
Prominent to the center's exterior, the renovation will preserve the legacy of the Hofheinz family and its contributions to both UH and the city of Houston. UH will transform an area adjacent to the new facility into Hofheinz Plaza, where fans will be greeted by a bronze statue of former Harris County Judge Roy Hofheinz. The University of Houston will request that city officials rename a portion of Holman Street in front of the arena after the Hofheinz family. In addition, Roy Hofheinz's records will be permanently archived and publicly accessible as a special collection in the UH library and the Alumni Center will house an area describing the lives and public service of Roy and Irene Hofheinz.
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.
