Houston Men’s Basketball Set to Meet Alcorn State on Sunday

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 13, 2010) There will be no rest for the weary as the University of Houston men’s basketball team returns to action at 2 p.m., Sunday, when it plays host to Alcorn State inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

Sunday’s game will be part of a doubleheader with the Houston women’s basketball team, which faces UT Arlington at 5 p.m.

The Cougars enter Sunday’s game on the heels of a thrilling 63-62 overtime win against Nicholls State. Senior forward Maurice McNeil hit a scoop shot with three seconds remaining to give the Cougars the come-from-behind victory.

In a game that featured long runs by both squads, the Cougars enjoyed their sixth season-opening win in the last seven years.

With the Cougars trailing 34-24 early in the second half, senior guard Adam Brown almost single-handedly brought the Cougars back from the brink. The San Antonio, Texas, native scored 11 consecutive points, hitting four straight field-goal attempts, and added a rebound and steal in a 6:28 stretch that saw the Cougars score 15 unanswered points and take a 39-34 lead.

Brown led the Cougars with 20points on 6-of-9 shooting for the fourth 20-point game of his career.

McNeil finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the seventh double-double of his career. Sophomore forward Kirk Van Slyke added 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his career.

Alcorn State enters this weekend’s game on the heels of an 88-56 loss at Texas A&M on Friday. The Braves fell behind 52-25 at halftime and connected on only 17-of-57 (29.8 percent) from the field.

In addition, Texas A&M outrebounded Alcorn State 52-32 and forced 19 turnovers.

Chris Davenport came off the bench to lead the Braves with 11 points and five rebounds. Tony Eackles added nine points and four rebounds, while Kendrick McDonald finished with eight points, two rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

Head coach Larry Smith is in his third year at Alcorn State, posting an 8-55 (.127) record during that time.

Houston owns a 3-0 lead in the all-time series, which began March 11, 1982, during the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region First Round in Tulsa, Okla.

The Cougars are 2-0 against Alcorn State in Houston, and those games have not been close. Houston has scored at least 110 points and won by an average of 40.5 points per game in those home contests.

Sunday’s game will be the first time that head coach James Dickey has faced Alcorn State.