HBU Huskies women's basketball kicks off season with 83-54 loss to Rice Owls

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 25. 2020) The HBU Huskies women's basketball team led the Rice Owls after 10 minutes of play and trailed their cross-town opponents by four at the half, however a second half scoring drought left them short at the end of the game, as they dropped a 83-54 to the Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston.

HBU jumped out to a 17-16 lead after the first quarter, with N'Denasija Collins accounting for seven of the Huskies' 1st quarter points. The Owls rebounded in the second quarter, outscoring the Huskies 14-9 to take a 30-26 lead at halftime. Then Rice got their bearings, outscoring the Huskies 20-18 in the third quarter and 24-10 in the final period in route to downing HBU.

The Huskies were led by Abbey Sutherland with 15 points, nine of them from three-point range. HBU head coach Donna Finnie stated after the game "I thought Abbey did pretty good defensively and offensively."

Sutherland was joined in double figures by Collins, with 10 points,. Marilyn Nzoiwu led HBU with seven rebounds.

Rice had four players in double figures; led by center Nancy Mulkey with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Owls was Arianna McCurry (12 points), Katelyn Crosthwait (12 points) and Haylee Swayze (11 points).

Finnie added, "We knew these were going to be two tough games to open the season (Rice and Texas Tech). We know basically what  we have to work on after today so we got to do a better job and keep looking for improvement. We are not going to see anyone in our conference that looks like this (Rice) or Texas Tech."

The Huskies will next face Texas Tech on Saturday, November 28 in Lubbock with a 2 p.m. tipoff.

Houston Forward Danuel House Honored as C-USA Freshman of the Week

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

Hightower High product collects award for third time in 2012-13

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 21, 2013) For the third time this season, University of Houston forward Danuel House (shown right , # 23) was honored as the Conference USA Freshman of the Week on Monday.

The Hightower High product was the team’s leading scorer in road losses at C-USA rivals East Carolina and UCF. House averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 assists per game to lead the Cougars in both categories.

He scored a team-high 22 points at East Carolina for his fifth 20-point game of the season and followed that with a 15-point, 11-rebound performance against UCF on Saturday inside Hofheinz Pavilion for the first double-double of his young career.

Making his sixth consecutive start, House flirted with a triple-double against the Knights, dishing out a career-high six assists while playing all but four minutes in the game.

He picked up the weekly accolade for the third time this season. House earned his first weekly award on Dec. 10 after scoring 22 points with six rebounds in a 79-57 win against Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 15. He followed that on Dec. 31 after scoring 22 points with seven rebounds in a home win against Prairie View A&M.

House tied with Tulsa’s James Woodard for the most Freshman weekly awards in 2012-13.

Tulane’s Josh Davis was honored as the C-USA Player of the Week.

Houston drops overtime decision to UCF, 79-75

TaShawn Thomas scored 11 points and 
pulled down 15 rebounds against UCF. 
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2013 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 19, 2013) Any conference loss is tough, but when it is in overtime, it makes the sting all the more painful.

The Houston Cougars must have felt like they were pierced in the heart by the UCF Knights as they dropped a 79-75 decision in front of 3577 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday evening.

With the loss, the Cougars fall to 1-3 in conference action and 12-5 for the season.

Houston got off to a strong start, leading 37-32 lead at halftime, but could not contain the Knights shooting in the second half while failing to keep the momentum of the first half going.

Freshman forward Danuel House stated that the second half break down was a lack of concentration

“Coach said (we have a) lack of concentration. We’re not concentrating harder. In (the) first half, we come out and we concentrate and second half, I think we as team, we get kind of, a little too comfortable with the cushion and the lead and then the other team, they sneak up on us.”

The Knights opened up the second half with an 8-0 run and from that point on it took its toll on the Cougars.

Houston was outscored 40-35 in the second half and 7-3 in the overtime perio

House led the Cougars with 15 points and 11 rebounds while TaShawn Thomas added 11 points and 13 boards to Houston’s total.

Joseph Young, Leon Gibson, and Jherrod Stiggers also scored in double figures (14, 12, and 11).

The Cougars connected on 29-of-64 shots for 45.3% while shooting 11-of-12 from the free throw line.

Sheldon Cooper was at Hofheinz Pavilion to support
the Houston Cougars on Saturday night.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography,
Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved

However, those performances were not enough to contain the Knights with four players scoring in double figures and making 50% of their shots from the field.

Houston head coach James Dickey summed up the UCF scoring by saying “it is hard to win when you give up 40 points in a half; it is just hard to do it.”

The Knights led the Cougars in most offensive stats; in-paint points (52-36), turnovers points (16-13), and fast break points (11-4).

Houston outscored the Knights in second chance points; 20-15.

The next game for the Cougars will be on Wednesday, Jan. 23 when they face Tulsa at home with a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Freshman Danuel House Leads Houston Men’s Basketball Past SMU

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

Freshman forward leads all with 28 points in Cougars’ Conference USA opener

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 9, 2013) Freshman forward Danuel House (pictured left) poured in a career-high 28 points to help lead the University of Houston Men’s Basketball team to a 78-67 win over SMU in its Conference USA opener inside Hofheinz Pavilion on Wednesday night.

The Sugar Land, Texas, native and Hightower High product connected on 7-of-11 shots from the field and converted a career-high 13-of-17 attempts from the free throw line for his fourth 20-point game during his inaugural collegiate season.

House, who was the Cougars’ third-leading scorer entering the game, also added two assists with a blocked shot while playing all but one minute in the game. He topped his previous high of 22 points, set earlier this season against Chicago State and Louisiana-Lafayette.

With the win, Houston won its seventh straight game and improved to 12-2 overall. More importantly, the Cougars moved to 1-0 in league play, winning its C-USA opener for the fifth time in the last six seasons. SMU lost its third straight game and fell to 10-7 overall, 0-2 in C-USA.

The Cougars overcame a sluggish first half that saw them trail 36-32 at the break. The Mustangs took advantage of 61.5 percent shooting in the first half and forced 10 Houston turnovers to put the Cougars in a hole through the first 20 minutes for only the fifth time this season.

Houston used a pair of second-half runs to take the win. Trailing 47-38 on a tip-in from SMU’s Jalen Jones, the Cougars scored the game’s next nine points to build a 48-47 lead when House drained the second of two free throw attempts for Houston’s first lead since the 19:33 mark of the first half.

The two teams battled back and forth from there and eventually found themselves in a 57-57 tie on Jones’ dunk with 6:36 left to play. However, the Cougars erupted on a 12-3 run during the next five minutes to build a 69-60 advantage on another free throw from House.

SMU rallied and moved to within 72-67 on a 3-pointer from Nick Russell with just less than a minute remaining, but that would be as close as the Mustangs would get. Houston closed out the game with six straight points with four of those coming from House.

After falling behind in the first 20 minutes, the Cougars connected on 44.8 percent from the field while limiting SMU to only 30.8 percent. The Cougars also reduced their turnover number to three in the final 20 minutes while forcing seven SMU giveaways.

Sophomore guard Joseph Young finished with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field in 34 minutes for his team-leading sixth 20-point game this season and the ninth of his career. Senior forward Leon Gibson scored eight points with a career-high 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas was held to six points but grabbed 12 rebounds with four assists, three blocked shots and a pair of steals.

Jones led SMU with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Russell added 14 points, including a pair of treys. Ryan Manuel paced the Mustangs with a game-high-tying four assists.

Houston Soccer Falls to Colorado College Friday Evening

Houston will face UTEP on Sunday at Robertson Stadium

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 19, 2012) The University of Houston soccer team fell 3-1 to Colorado College on Friday evening at Robertson Stadium. The Cougars are now 6-7-3 on the season and 2-3-3 in Conference USA.

“Over the last couple of weeks we have worked very hard,” Head Coach Chris Pfau said. “Today we just had nothing left. We were tired and a step behind. I was happy we fought back and tied the game. We now just have to refocus and realize we have three game left.”

The Tigers would strike with a minute and a half left in the first 45, and go into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

Both teams came out in the second half battling. The Cougars would knot the game in the 62^nd minute when sophomore forward Kelsey Zamora found the back right corner off a pass from senior forward Katelyn Rhodes.

Eight minutes later, the Tigers would go up 2-1 after senior midfielder Hannah Peterson found sophomore forward Jaclyn Silsby. Colorado College would score the game-winner in the 81^st minute and hold on to the victory.

UP NEXT

The Cougars will host UTEP at 1 p.m. Sunday at Robertson Stadium.

STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Soccer on Twitter @UHCougarSoccer and "Like" /HoustonCougarSoccer on Facebook.

Case Keenum Leads Houston to 37-7 Win Over SMU; Season Record Now 11-0

(UH quarterback Case Keenum completed 30-of-45 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown in the Cougars' win over SMU. Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 19, 2011) In a game that saw the Houston Cougars (11-0, 7-0 C-USA) facing a stubborn SMU Mustangs squad; the Cougars managed to keep their record unblemished by downing the Mustangs 37-7 in front of 32,207 fan at Robertson Stadium in Houston.

The Mustangs fall to 6-5 for the season and 4-3 in conference play.

The scene was electric on Saturday afternoon with the Mustangs facing a sea of red in the stands and a determined Houston team that get its first 11-0 start in school history.

Case Keenum continued to dazzle both the fans and the opposing team’s defense, completing 30-of-45 passes for 318 yard and one touchdown.

He also rushed for 21 yards and one touchdown.

The Houston offensive line had a bit of difficulty with the SMU defense, as they continuously pursued and pressured Keenum all afternoon.

Keenum was never caught behind the line for a loss, but he had to continually scramble and look for receivers while keeping the Mustang rushers at bay.

The Cougars scored first on a 28-yard field goal by Matt Hogan at the 9:02 mark in the first quarter to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

They came back in the second quarter with another Hogan field goal with 14:10 left in the half and a 36-yard touchdown run by Michael Hayes with 46 seconds remaining before halftime.

With those two scores, the Cougars took a 13-0 lead into the locker room at the halfway point.

Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin must have made some adjustments at halftime; or chewed a little player behind, because the Cougars came back like gangbusters and scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter.

At the 6:32 mark, Hogan nailed his 3rd field goal of the game; a 22-yard chip shot to take the score to 16-0 in favor of the Cougars.

The Cougars got another score with 30 seconds left in the 3rd quarter on a 12-yard pass from Case Keenum to Justin Johnson to make the score to 23-0.

SMU finally got on the board with 8:33 left in the game on an eight yard TD pass from J.J. McDermott to Darius Johnson.

The Cougars came right back in a bit over two minutes to allow Keenum to run the ball in for the score from the 16-yard line.

That made the score 30-7 with 6:17 left.

Houston added a final touchdown pass when Cotton Turner connected with Gino Collins on 43-yard pass for the score with 1:18 to go in the game.

The win sets up a crucial match up next Saturday when the Cougars travel to Oklahoma to face the 8-3 Tulsa Golden Hurricane for the Conference USA West title.

The Golden Hurricane is 7-0 in conference play and the winner of the game will advance to the C-USA championship game on December 3.

Houston Cougars Football: Going for Their First 9-0 Start in School History

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 5, 2011) When the Houston Cougars take the field to face the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers on Saturday evening, they will be looking to go 9-0 for the first time in school history.

Saturday’s game is the eighth all-time meeting between Houston and UAB and each of those eight meetings have come as members of Conference USA .

UAB leads the series 4-3, but UH has won three of the last four contests, including a 49-10 win in Birmingham on Oct. 20, 2007


Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin is 1-0 vs. the Blazers, with that win coming in 2008 by a 45-20 margin at Robertson Stadium

Houston has scored 40 plus points against. the Blazers in all three of its wins, including 56 tallies during a 56-28 win at Robertson Stadium in 2003.

Current UAB head coach Neil Callaway spent four seasons at the University of Houston as the team’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (1993-96).

Houston quarterback Case Keenum leads the country with 3,219 yards passing and 32 TDs.

He has the country’s best TD-to-INT ratio in 2011 (32-3) and needs 267 yards passing on Saturday to break the NCAA career yardage record of 17,072 which is held by Hawaii’s Timmy Chang.

Keenum has 16,805 career passing yards. He already owns NCAA records for career TD passes (139), TD’s accounted for (159), total offense (17,692) and career 300 yard games (33).

Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards produced the best receiving day in college football this season with 318 yards and five TDs on just seven catches in a 73-34 victory over Rice on Oct. 27.

He is also the first receiver in America to top 1,000 yards receiving and currently ranks No. 2 nationally in receiving yardage (1,069).

He leads the NCAA with 11 TD grabs in 2011 and is ranks No. 9 nationally in yards per catch (21.0) and is the first player in University of Houston history to top 1,000 yards receiving in three separate seasons.

Tied for the school record with 34 career TD grabs and is the school record holder for career receiving yardage (3,826).

Houston Cougars Thump Marshall 63-28: Where Do They Go from Here?

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, 

Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 22, 2011) What can one say after a football game that ends in a 35-point win for the home team and raises the team’s season record to 7-0?

Some may think that the score says it all and that nothing more needs to be said.

If the world was so simple that above statement would simply be enough.

More precisely, if the game of college football was so simple it might make for an easier time of understand the game as a whole.

But college football is not that simple. One must indeed look at what else happened in the game.

Yes, the Houston Cougars are now 7-0 after their 63-28 thumping of the Thundering Herd of Marshall.

Marshall came into Robertson Stadium sporting a 2-1 Conference USA record and leading the East Division of the conference.

The Thundering Herd controlled the ball for 42 minutes of the game. That means the Cougars’ defense was on the field for nearly 3/4 of the game.

No matter what one thinks about the Houston defense, that fact definitely had an impact on the game.

Add that to the realization that Houston has been struggling with their defense all season makes for a dangerous situation if their opponents offense ever gets on the move.

Case Keenum threw for 376 yards and six touchdowns in Houston's 63-28 win over Marshall. Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved

Houston gave up 506 total yards to Marshall. That is way too much.

Holding them to 28 points was a factor in the game, but the fact is Marshall failed to capitalize on their offensive drives and Houston scored easily when they did have possession of the ball.

Case Keenum had a very successful day. He competed 24 of 28 passes for 376 yards and six touchdowns.

That performance did enable him to become the NCAA's career total offense record holder.

If he keeps this up, he should have no problem breaking both the NCAA all-time passing yardage record and the NCAA all time touchdown passes record.

The Cougars should have their next game against cross-town rival Rice. The Owls

sport a 2-5 record and should be no match for the Cougars. But the way college football is, nothing is guaranteed.

Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin needs to evaluate the defensive performance from today’s game and continue to tweak and refine where the defense is going.

To his credit, the Houston defense has shown improvement this year and is steps above when it was this time last year.

However, if he hopes to build on what has dome so far and continue to see improvement, he must expect…no, he must demand that the defense step up and do a better job than it did against Marshall.

After all, he has at least five games to go in 2011 and possibly two more if he gets to the C-USA championship game and the eventual bowl game that may come at the season’s end.

Add that to all the speculation of a possible move to the Big East Conference and all that implies makes the defensive situation crucial.

After all, this is college football and anything can happen.

Houston Cougars Football: Pregame Thoughts and Observations

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.)

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 21, 2011) With about 1.5 hours until kickoff of the Houston Cougars and the Marshall Thundering Herd, I can be found sitting in the press box at Robertson Stadium enjoying a plate of nachos and drink a Diet Coke.

Having all my pre-game coverage completed, it also gives me time to put my fingers on the keys of this old laptop and to expound on some observations I made while walking to the stadium from the satellite lot where I parked my old Chevy truck.

This weekend is homecoming. The air is full of the atmosphere of any typical football, except it multiplied to the Nth degree.

There is more bar-be-cue, beer and red and white that this place has seen in a long time.

Yes, it is like that at any Cougars game, but this is homecoming weekend.

Alumni come from all over to visit the campus and see the spectacle that this game has become.

The Cougars are 6-0. The last time they had won their first six games without a loss was 1990.

Quarterback Case Keenum is on track to break two more records this season.

He needs 130 yards to pass Hawai’i’s Timmy Chang on the NCAA FBS All-Time Total Offense list.

Unless the ground opens up and swallows the entire Cougar offensive squad, that record will be broken today.

He also needs three touchdown passes to pass Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell on the NCAA FBS All-Time Touchdown Passes list.

Harrell currently holds the record with 134 TD passes.

That record could also go down today. In fact, I would be willing to bet the rent money that it does.

But setting all that aside, The Rob is the place to be in Houston this weekend.

Talk is all round about the idea of Houston leaving Conference USA and joining the Big East Conference.

Other talk is going around about the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA combining in football for a “super” 32-team conference.

But as in everything, talk is cheap and rumors abound at every turn

If any of those proposals, rumors, and scuttlebutt becomes reality, there will be time to discuss the pros and cons of them later.

Today is about the Houston Cougars football team winning a game. Today is about homecoming. Today is about Case Keenum breaking two NCAA records.

In closing, today is about the next four hours and what happens on the green grass inside Robertson Stadium

Hosuton Cougars Football. There is nothing like it in Houston on October 21, 2011.

Pitching Powers UH Baseball To 5-3 Win Over UCF

ORLANDO, FLORIDA (May 1, 2011) Juniors Jared Ray and Jordan Mannisto combined to allow just three runs to the UCF Knights, giving the University of Houston baseball team a 5-3 win in the series finale Sunday afternoon at Jay Bergman Field.

With the win, Houston wins the series 2-1 and improves to 22-23 overall and 9-6 in Conference USA action. The Cougars also move in to a tie for second place with the Rice Owls in the C-USA standings.

In his second start this season, Ray earned his first win in five innings on the mound. He allowed one run on two hits with a strikeout and two walks. Mannisto pitched the final four innings, allowing two runs on six hits with one
strikeout.

Senior Caleb Ramsey led the team at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance,
scoring two runs with a double. Sophomore Chase Jensen added two hits, two runs
and an RBI.

Just has they had all series, the Cougars struck first in the finale. With one
out, Ramsey singled through the left side to put a runner on base. He would
advance to second on a passed ball by UCF catcher Beau Taylor before scoring on
junior Matt Creel’s RBI single to centerfield.

The Cougars’ run in the top of the first was answered in the bottom of the
inning, tying the score 1-1. Ronnie Richardson reached base after being hit by a
pitch and moved to third on D.J. Hicks’ single to right field before scoring on
Jonathan Griffin’s sacrifice fly to right field.

Jensen helped the Cougars break the 1-1 tie in the sixth inning. After reaching
base on a single to right field, he advanced to third on senior Joel Ansley’s
single through the left side and scored on junior John Cannon’s groundout to
third base.

Junior Codey Morehouse and Jensen helped the Cougars add to their lead in the
eighth inning. The pair hit back-to-back doubles to give UH a 3-1 lead and a
throwing error by UCF shortstop Darnell Sweeney allowed Jensen to score from
second base.

The Knights made it a tight game in the bottom of the inning, scoring on
Griffin’s two-run home run but the Cougars were able to score a run in their
final at bat and take the series win.

Following the series against UCF, UH will have a few days of rest before they
host cross-town rival Rice in a three-game series, May 6-8 at Cougar Field. All
three games of the series will air on Comcast Sports Southwest.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Announces Dec. 30 Kickoff In Dallas

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (April 19, 2011) The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will return to Dallas for the second-straight year as the ninth edition of the nationally televised postseason college football bowl game on ESPN will be played Friday, Dec. 30, at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium with an 11 a.m. CST kickoff.

“For the fifth year in a row, we are very pleased to have a post-Christmas game date which will be featured on ESPN,” said Brant B. Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. “We also look forward to continuing our relationship with SMU after staging a highly successful event at Ford Stadium this past December.”

Due to renovations at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas where a facility record crowd of 36,742 watched Army post a 16-14 win over SMU. The 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl currently features a matchup between schools from Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference.

“We are excited to serve as the host of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl for the second-straight year,” said Steve Orsini, SMU’s director of athletics. “We enjoyed our association with the bowl staff and committee in 2010 and look forward to working with the group again in 2011. As we stated when we signed the initial agreement last August, the patriotism that this game represents is something with which we are proud to be associated. In addition, the hosting of this game in our stadium last December showcased our school and campus before a national television audience, and we look forward to having that opportunity again in 2011.”

The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which is scheduled to return to Amon G. Carter Stadium in 2012, has featured a military theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of the military are prevalent throughout the game. Past Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest areas showcasing military hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; on-field induction ceremonies; military bands and honor guards; and the awarding of the annual “Great American Patriot Award” (GAPA) presented by Armed Forces Insurance.

TCU announced a $105-million renovation of the west side and north end zone of Amon G. Carter Stadium in August 2010 to upgrade amenities and transform the historic Fort Worth icon into the "Camden Yards" of collegiate football stadiums. Construction began immediately following TCU's final 2010 home game and is slated for completion prior to the Horned Frogs’ 2012 regular season.

“Due to our continued improvements to Amon G. Carter Stadium, we will be unable to host the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl,” said Chris Del Conte, TCU’s director of athletics. “Our stadium and city is the true home for this patriotic bowl game and we look forward to showcasing our new football facility upon its return following the 2012 regular season.”

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, joined the bowl on August 23, 2006, as the title sponsor of the postseason college football game formerly known as the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (2003, 2004) and the Fort Worth Bowl (2005). 2006 marked the first year for the adoption of the “Armed Forces Bowl” name, making the official title the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Bell Helicopter has twice exercised its option for title sponsorship of the game. The current agreement was signed in Septembe r 2009 to continue the sponsorship for the 2010 and 2011 games with a two-year option for 2012 and 2013.

Pirates Down Houston Baseball 12-2 In Seven Innings

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 23, 2011) The University of Houston baseball team lost its series finale against the East Carolina Pirates, 12-2, in seven innings Saturday afternoon at Cougar Field. With the loss, Houston drops the series against the Pirates,1-2.

Houston now stands at 20-21 on the season and 7-5 in Conference USA play.

Junior Mo Wiley fell to 2-2 on the mound, giving up three runs on four hits in 3.2 innings. The Cougars then used six relief pitchers to close out the contest.

Sophomore Chase Jensen finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI. Senior Caleb Ramsey and junior Matt Creel each added two hits for Houston.

East Carolina leadoff batter Ben Fultz got the Pirates off to a quick start with a home run to right field to start the game.

Trent Whitehead then put the Pirates up 3-0 in the fourth inning with ECU’s second home run of the game. He would score Zach Wright on the play after he reached base on a single to right field. With two outs, freshman Travis Jenkins would enter the game in relief, walking his first batter before giving up a double to the left field corner that allowed the base runner to score.

Jensen answered for the Cougars in the bottom of the fourth inning. He led off with a single to left field, moved to second on Shawn Armstrong’s balk and advanced to third on sophomore M.P. Cokinos’ fly out to center field. Junior John Cannon’s groundout to the shortstop would allow Jenson to score and the Cougars to pull withinthree of the Pirates, 4-1.

The Pirates would pull away in the fifth inning, scoring six runs, including two home runs, to take a 10-1 lead. The Cougars scored their final run in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Ramsey doubled down the left field line and scored onJensen’s single to right center field.

East Carolina would seal the win and close out the game, scoring two runs in the sixth inning.

The Cougars will have a busy week ahead of them, as they will play five games on the road next week. The week begins at Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m. Tuesday and continues against Lamar at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Following the midweek action, Houston will travel to Orlando for a three-game series against UCF, April 29-May 1.

Jordan Lewis Strikes Out 10 As Cougars Even Series With East Carolina

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 22, 2011) Junior Jordan Lewis struck out 10 batters and allowed just one earned run to guide the University of Houston baseball team to a 4-2win over East Carolina Friday night at Cougar Field.With the win, Houston tied the series with the Pirates 1-1, with the finale set for 1 p.m. Saturday.

Lewis pitched seven innings to improve to 4-1 on the mound. He gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits to go along with his 10 strikeouts. Junior Jordan Mannisto collected his third save, pitching the final two innings of the game.

At the plate, senior Caleb Ramsey was 2-for-4, while sophomore Chase Jensen tripled and scored a run.

“I’ve said all along that this is a resilient team,” head coach Todd Whitting said. “We’ve lost four games this year; probably the hardest you can lose them. Every time we have lost a game, either on a walk off or in the last inning, the team has come back and responded. The team is really good at flushing things and moving on to the next game.”

Houston traded runs with the Pirates in the third inning. After giving up an unearned run on a Lewis error, Ramsey singled to center field, allowing freshman Landon Appling to score from first base.

In the fourth inning, Sophomore M.P. Cokinos singled up the middle and junior John Cannon put runners on first and second base with a walk. Junior Matt Creel moved the runners into scoring position before junior Codey Morehouse’s bunt down the first base line gave Cokinos the chance to score.

Leading 2-1,Jensen helped the Cougars add to their lead with a triple to left field. With runners on the corners he would score on Cannon’s sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning

After a double to lead off the seventh inning, Morehouse would give UH its final run total, scoring on senior Ryan Still’s sacrifice fly to left field.

The Pirates closed out the game with a run in the eighth inning.
Houston will close out the series against East Carolina on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

UH Baseball Falls To East Carolina, 5-4, In 12 Innings

HOUSTON, TEXAS (Apeil 21, 2011) The University of Houston baseball team gave up three runs in the ninth inning, allowing the East Carolina Pirates to earn a 5-4 comeback win in 12 innings in the series opener Thursday night at Cougar Field.

With the loss, Houston falls to 19-20 on the season and 6-4 in Conference USA play.

UH held a 4-1 lead when Chase McDonald began a three-run rally with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Back-to-back singles put two runners on base before Ben Fultz tripled to right center to tie the score, 4-4.

The score remained tied until the 12th inning when Trent Whitehead singled to left field, allowing Jack Reinheimer to score after leading off the inning with a walk.

In his first appearance on the mound since the 2009 season, junior Jared Ray pitched four solid innings. He gave up one run on three hits with a strikeout.

Sophomore M.P. Cokinos had a successful day at the plate, connecting on two hits with two RBIs. Junior John Cannon added two hits and scored a run.

After the Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, Cannon tied the score in the fifth on a wild pitch by ECU pitcher Mike Wright.

The Cougars took control of the game in their next at bat. With the bases loaded, Cokinos doubled to left field and Fultzmishandled the ball allowing three runs to score and the Cougars to take a 4-1 lead.

The series against East Carolina will continue at 6:30 p.m. Friday with the finale against the Pirates scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.

UH Baseball Completes Series Sweep With 9-0 Win Over Tulane

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (April 3, 2011) Junior Mo Wiley turned in eight scoreless innings on the mound to lead the University of Houston baseball team to a 9-0 win over Tulane, completing the series sweep, Sunday afternoon at Turchin Stadium.

Wiley gave up nine hits and struck out two batters in a career-long outing. Senior Taylor Hammack closed out the contest, pitching the final inning. During the series with the Green Wave, the Cougars allowed only eight Tulane batters to advance to third base and they gave up just two runs in 27 innings.

With the win, Houston (15-14, 3-0 C-USA) is the only undefeated team in Conference USA and has swept a league opponent on the road for the first time since a trip to Marshall on April 24-26, 2009.

The Cougars are also in the final games of a nine game stretch against ranked opponents as the Green Wave was No. 27 in the latest baseball polls.

After two scoreless innings to open the contest, the Cougars loaded the bases in the third inning with three straight singles before senior Caleb Ramsey doubled down the right field line to put UH up 2-0.

Sophomore Chase Jensen added to Houston’s run total on the next at bat with a two run single to right field. Ramsey added to the Cougars lead in the fourth inning, with the bases loaded he singled to right field allowing two runs to score.

Houston would score in the third straight inning when junior Matt Creel scored on junior John Cannon’s sacrifice fly to right field in the fifth inning. UH posted two runs in the seventh inning for their final run total of the game.

With one out, Cokinos singled to center field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A dropped fly ball to right field allowed Cannon to advance to third and score Cokinos.

Junior Austin Gracey followed with a double down the left field line to send Cannon to home plate.

UP NEXT The Cougars will play five games next week, beginning with a trip to College Station, Texas. The Cougars will play Texas A&M at 6:35 p.m. April 5 before returning to Cougar Field for a contest with Lamar at 6:30 p.m. April 6. UH will then continue league play with a three-game series against UAB, April 8-10.

UH Baseball Looks To Extend Win Streak Against Kent State

(Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 17, 2011) The University of Houston baseball team will look to extend its two-game win streak this weekend whenthey play host to Kent State at Cougar Field. It will mark the first ever meetings between the two programs on the baseball field. The series begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, continues at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Fans can hear all of the weekend’s game action live on UHCougars.com through the online radio link and livestats will also be available via the internet by clicking on the Gametracker link on the baseball schedule page. A live video stream of each game will be available on the All-Access page of the Houston website.

Houston’s series against Kent State will be the last home contest during the month of March as the Cougars kick off a nine game road stand next week. The road trip includes two midweek games against Rice, a midweek game against Texas A&M and weekend series against TCU and Tulane.

The Cougars are 9-9 this season after winning games against Sam Houston State and McNeese State this week. Junior Matt Creel leads the team with a .413 batting average. The designated hitter has six doubles, a triple and 13 RBIs. Senior Caleb Ramsey leads the team with ninedoubles and 25 RBIs.

Kent State enters the weekend with an 8-6overall record after knocking off Pittsburgh, 10-7, Tuesday night. Ben Klafczynski paces the team with a .439 average. He also has three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 13 RBIs. As a team the Golden Flashes are hitting .266 with 24 doubles, nine triples and seven home runs.

Junior Mo Wiley will be making the start for the Cougars on Friday night against the Golden Flashes. He is 0-1 in one start and four appearances. Wiley posts a 6.14 ERA with four strikeouts. Kent State will send Andrew Chafin to the mound in the opener. He is 2-0 this season in three starts. Chafin has also not allowed a run in 19.2 innings and has 19 strikeouts.

Houston has not named starters for Saturday and Sunday’s games. The Golden Flashes will start Kyle Hallock on Saturday. He is 2-2 in four starts with a 2.25 ERA. In 24 innings of work he has allowed six earned runs with 17 strikeouts.

In the finale, Kent State has named DavidStarn as its starter. He is 2-1 with a 0.93 ERA in four starts. Starn has pitched a team-high 29 innings and has a team-high 26 strikeouts.

C-USA Women's Basketball All Conference Team Announced

IRVING, TEXAS (March 6, 2011) The league's best players were honored Sunday as Conference USA unveiled its 2011 Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams. A trio of Houston standouts received recognition while Memphis and Rice also tallied honorees. Brittney Scott, Courtney Taylor and Porsche Landry all represent the Cougars on the list along with Memphis' Brittany Carter and Rice's Jessica Kuster.

The 2011 Buick C-USA Basketball Championships is set to take place from
Wednesday, March 9 through Saturday, March 12 in Memorial Gym and the Don
Haskins Center on UTEP's campus in El Paso, Texas. For ticket information, call
915-747-6150.

Conference USA will air its first annual C-USA Women's Basketball Championship
Podcast Show on Monday, March 7. The two-hour show can be heard in its entirety
or broken down to feature all 12 C-USA coaches individually.


2010-11 CONFERENCE USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
All-C-USA First Team
Courtney Taylor, Sr., F, Houston
Brittney Scott, Sr., G., Houston
Porsche Landry, Sr., PG, Houston
Brittany Carter, Jr., G, Memphis
Jessica Kuster, Fr., F, Rice

All-C-USA Second Team
Tynikki Crook, Sr., F, Marshall
Danielle Nunn, Sr., G, Tulane
D'Nay Daniels, Sr., G, UCF
Chelsie Wiley, Sr., G, UCF
Gloria Brown, Jr-TF., F, UTEP

All-C-USA Third Team
Kim Gay, Sr., F, East Carolina
Morgan Mayse, Sr., F, Rice
Tanesha Washington, Sr., G, Southern Miss
Rachel Vigers, Jr., F, Southern Miss
Tiffany Aidoo, Sr., G/F, Tulane

2010-11 CONFERENCE USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
All Freshman Team
Jessica Kuster, F, Rice
Akil Simpson, F, SMU
Jamierra Faulkner, PG, Southern Miss
Karisma Chapman, F, UAB
Kelli Willingham, G, UTEP

2010-11 CONFERENCE USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
All Defensive Team
Courtney Taylor, Sr., F, Houston
Ramses Lonlack, Jr., G, Memphis
Jessica Kuster, Fr., F, Rice
Roshaunda Barnes, Sr., G, Tulane
Aisha Patrick, Jr., G, UCF

UH Baseball Opens 2011 Season Against UT Arlington

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 16, 2011) The 2011 University of Houston baseball season will kick-off at 6:30 p.m. Friday night at Cougar Field, as the Cougars play host to UT Arlington in a three-game series. The weekend will continue against the Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and conclude at 1 p.m.Sunday

Fans can hear all three of this weekend’s games live on UHCougars.com and livestats will also be available via the internet by clicking on the Gametracker link on the baseball schedule page.

The first 250 fans that arrive for Friday’s game will receive an official 2011 Houston Baseball poster or schedule card.

Single game tickets are still on sale beginning at $8 for general admission. A season ticket package for all 27 home games is also still available for $165. Tickets can be purchased at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office in the Athletics/Alumni Center or on the phone at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or online at www.UHCougars.com.

The gates and the ticket booth will be open one hour prior to the start of the game.

The Cougars are under the direction of first-year head coach Todd Whitting, who rejoined the program after spending seven seasons as an assistant coach at TCU.

Whitting has tabbed junior RHP Codey Morehouse as his opening day starter. Morehouse made 14 appearances on the mound last season, all in relief. He finished with a 9.50 ERA and one save. He will face off against the Mavericks’ RHP Collin Reynolds, a junior college transfer playing his first game for UTA.

Saturday’s contest will mark junior lefty Jordan Lewis’ first start as a Cougar. He transferred to UH from West Nevada Junior College. There he guided his team to a third place finish at the Junior College World Series and was named a First-Team All-Conference selection. RHP Lance Day will be making the start in his first game with the Mavericks.

Neither team has named a starter for Sunday’s series finale.

Friday’s opener marks Houston’s 65th season of intercollegiate baseball. UH has enjoyed great success in season openers, posting an all-time record of 38-26 (.593) and reeling off 13-straight victories from 1975-1987.

The Cougars will meet UT Arlington for the seventh time in program history on Friday. UH holds a 5-1 all-time record in the series with a 4-0 mark at Cougar Field. Houston earned an 8-3 win in the last meeting between the two programs on Feb. 24, 2007 at the Southwest Diamond Classic.

Houston Cougars Women's Basketball Moves To 20-4 On The Season; Downs ECU 77-60

(Photo by Robert H Kelly-TexSport Publications, Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.)

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 13, 2011) With four players scoring in double digits, the Houston Cougars (20-4, 11-0 C-USA) downed a stubborn East Carolina team 77-60 in Conference USA women’s basketball action at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Led by Brittany Scott’s 20 points and five rebounds, the Lady Cougars started slow, scoring only nine points in the first nine minutes of the game. They fell behind 11-9 at the 11:18 mark of the first half, but quickly tied the game 11-all with 9:35 left in the first half.

From that point, it was Houston all the way; leading 36-27 at the half while building on their lead in the second half.

The Cougars had three other players in double digits; Porsche Landry with 16, followed by Lesslee Mason with 12 and Jasmine Johnson with 11.

Mason scored her fifth double-double of the season with her 12 points and 11 rebounds. He last double-double was against SMU on Jan. 30.

Houston out-total rebounded ECU 49-41 and also led them on both the offensive side (15-11) and on defense (34-30).

The Pirates were led by Ashley Clark with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Cougars will next face Tulsa on the road on February 17 with a 7:30pm start before returning to the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion on February 20 for a 2:00pm game with UTEP.

Houston Cougars Face East Carolina in C-USA Women's Basketball Action

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2011 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 13, 2011) With a 1:45pm CT start at Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston, the Houston Cougars women's basketball team
(19-4, 10-0 C-USA) face the East Carolina Pirates (11-12, 5-5 C-USA).

The Cougars and Pirates are meeting for the 10th time since 2002, as Houston
holds an 8-1 advantage in the series. The Cougars are 4-1 against East Carolina
at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Houston improved to 10-0 in Conference USA action with a 71-51 victory against
Rice on Thursday, marking the best-ever start in league play.

The Cougars have jumped out to the second-best start in school history at 19-4
overall.

Courtney Taylor was named the C-USA Player of the Week for the fourth time this
season after posting 21 points and 18 rebounds at Tulane.

Taylor set the all-time Houston rebounding record (1,012) at UAB on Jan. 20. Taylor
has posted 15 double-doubles this season to push her career total to a school record
55, which also ranks fourth in C-USA history.

Taylor currently places fourth nationally in double-doubles and fifth in rebounds per game (12.1).

Brittney Scott surpassed Houston great Chandi Jones as the all-time 3-point shooter at UAB on Jan. 20.

Scott looks to make her 85th-consecutive start on Thursday, which dates back to the beginning of the 2008-09 season.