Sunday, December 30, 2012

Houston Baptist to face Army in last contest of 2012

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 30, 2012) The Houston Baptist Huskies will return the Sharp Gymnasium for the last time in 2012 when they face the Army Golden Knights on a 2:05 p.m. match on Monday.


The Huskies will be looking for they fifth win of the season while Army brings a 6-6 record to Houston; after losing to Texas A&M, 61-55 on Saturday.



HBU sports a 4-8 record and will begin their Great West Conference schedule on Jan. 8.



Leading the Huskies is Art Bernardi, who is averaging 13.4 points per game, along with Tyler Russell with 11.7.



Marcus Davis and Dauson Womack lead the team in rebounding, each averaging 5.2 per game with Bernardi following closely with 5.2



The Huskies have never faced the Golden Knights and are 2-2 at home this season.



The 2012 season will be the final season the Golden West Conference for HBU as they move to the Southland Conference in 2013.



Monday will be homecoming for Army senior forward Ella Ellis, as he played high school ball at Aldine Eisenhower High School in Houston, leading the Generals to the District 19-5A title in 2008.

Early Foul Trouble Dooms Women’s Basketball at Texas Tech

Palmer leads Cougars with 13 points

LUBBOCK, TEXAS (December 30, 2012)  The University of Houston women’s basketball team was plagued by early foul trouble on Sunday afternoon, falling to a hot-shooting Texas Tech team by a score of 86-56 at United Spirit Arena.

Freshman guard Jessieka Palmer posted a team-high 13 points in 23 minutes of action,while freshman guard Alecia Smith and junior forward Yasmeen Thompson each chipped in nine points.

The Cougars (5-7) were neck-and-neck with the Lady Raiders early on, as freshman guard Marche’ Amerson found junior forward Te’onna Campbell under the basket to break an 8-2 Tech run and tie the score at 15 points apiece.

Texas Tech (10-2) then mounted a 7-0 run to jump out to a 22-15 advantage, but Palmer banked a 3-pointer off the glass as the shot clock expired and senior guard Porshe Landry buried a jumper to trim the deficit to 24-20 with under five minutes remaining in the opening half.

The Lady Raiders then closed the half on a 14-4 run to take a 38-24 advantage into the break as four of Houston’s starters were forced to sit the remainder of the half due to foul trouble, including three who were only able to play nine of the opening 20 minutes.

Thompson helped the Cougars close the deficit to 12 points early in the second half with a three-point play, but the Lady Raiders answered with back-to-back buckets to kick the advantage back to 16 points.

Houston went without a field goal for over six minutes down the stretch, as Tech opened its 16-point lead to a 26-point advantage.

The Cougars struggled from the field all afternoon, shooting 32 percent (19-of-60), while Tech shot 53 percent (29-of-55) from the field, including a blazing 61 percent-clip in the second half.

Houston forced 23 Texas Tech turnovers after the Lady Raiders entered the game giving up just over 14 per contest, but the Cougars committed 21 miscues of their own.

Texas Tech’s Casey Morris led four Lady Raiders in double figures with 13 points.

The Cougars wrap up non-conference play on Jan. 6 against Delaware State at 2 p.m., at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Houston Golf Excels in Classroom during Fall Semester


Team posts highest fall grade-point average; Sophomore Kyle Pilgrim with perfect 4.0 GPA

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 26, 2012)  In addition to its tremendous success on the course, the University of Houston Men’s Golf team recently enjoyed outstanding achievement in the classroom.

With a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.10, the Cougars posted the program’s highest ever mark in the opening semester of a school year, topping the old mark of 3.04. It also was the team’s highest overall grade-point average with a mark of 3.01.

All 14 current members of the team stood in good academic standing with four of them earning Dean’s List honors with GPAs of 3.5 or higher. Individually, sophomore Kyle Pilgrim recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA to lead the team.

Senior Joseph Reynolds received his bachelor’s degree in consumer sciences and merchandising during winter commencement ceremonies last week, while seniors Will Dusenbury (business) and Jordan Rumora (organizational leadership and supervision) are scheduled to graduate in the spring.

“As successful as we were throughout the fall season, I am equally  proud of our team’s performance in the classroom,” head coach Jonathan Dismuke said. “We want all our student-athletes to perform at the highest level in competition and in their academic endeavors. A record like this is only possible through the dedication and hard work from all our student-athletes and our outstanding Student-Athlete Development staff, led by Associate Athletics Director Maria Peden.”

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Houston Cougars down Chicago State 79-54



By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 22, 2012) Sophomore guard Joseph Young gave credit to all his teammates after his 24 point performance in the Houston Cougars’ 79-54 win over Chicago State at Hofheinz Pavilion non Saturday afternoon.


“As a team, we played great today. On the defensive end everyone was hustling.”


Young connected on 8-of-15 shots from the field, including five-three pointers along with three free throws.

Teammate TaShawn Thomas added 21 points and was 7-of 7 from the free throw line.

Thirteen Houston players saw court time, with freshman Valentine Inundu coming off the bench and scoring nine of the Cougars’ 22 bench points.

Head coach James Dickey was very pleased with Inundu’s play.


“I was pleased with Valentine. You can see the tremendous potential he has. He’s 17 years old, and he’s going to get better and better.”


Young’s 24 points was his third-straight 20-point game with Thomas acquiring his fifth 20-point game of the season.

Houston jumped out to a 15 point advantage at the half (40-25) and never relinquished the lead in the second half.

Their largest lead came at the 5:54 mark in the second half when Valentine hit a two-pointer jumper off a pass from Thomas.

Brandon Morris and Danuel House both contributed nine points to Houston’s scoring total with Leon Gipson pulling down 12 rebounds.

The Cougars will have three days off before they return to Houston to prepare for a rematch against Prairie View A&M on December 29.

Dickey states in the post-game press conference that he is excited about facing Panthers.


“When they (the Cougars) get back, we’re excited about the challenger ahead. They have a good team, they play well and we have to play a lot better here on the 29th.”


Houston lost to Prairie View 81-80 on November 28 when Carl Blair hit 1-of-2 free throws with 5.95 seconds remaining in the game.

Allen tops Lamar 35-21 for Texas State FB Championship



By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 22, 2012) Allen High School added a second state champion trophy to its trophy case on Saturday evening when it defeated the Lamar (Houston) Redskins by the score of 35-21 for the Texas 5A Division I crown.



The Eagles got on the scoreboard first on a 55-yard run by Kyler Murray at the 3:50 mark in the first quarter.



Murray scored his second touchdown of the game with 19 second remaining in the 1st quarter on a 68-yard run.



The sophomore quarterback also threw for seven passes for 15 yards and one touchdown,



Lamar got on the board when they scored a rare safety four minutes into the game to make the score 14-2 after 12 minutes.



The Redskins came right back and scored on a 41-yard pass from Darrell Colbert to Cory Mitchell.



Five minutes later, Murray connected with Cole Carter with a 12-yard pass for Lamar’s third touchdown of the game.



Lamar scored two unanswered touchdowns on a Colbert seven-yard run with 1:12 left in the half in addition to a Beau Wells TD at the 2:04 mark in the third.



The Eagles responded with two Marcus Ward scores.



His first TD was a one-yard run with 26 seconds left in the third quarter and a 67-yard run with six-minutes remaining in the game.



Wards finished the game with 14 carries for 109 yards.



For the Redskins, Colbert rushed for 146 yards on18 carries.



Both teams finished the season with a 15-1 record.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Houston beats Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, 85-63



By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 15, 2012) With career high scoring by Joseph Young and Danuel House, the Houston Cougars downed a talented Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cagun squad 85-63 in front of 3,268 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Young tied his career best with 27 points while House set a new career best with 22 points.

Young was virtually unstoppable on the court, hitting 10-of-27 from the field and 6-of-11 from three-point range.

House was 4-for-5 on three-pointers and 8-of-13 from the field.

Both players credited their teammate for their performances.

House stated,” Our coach made us get together and he talked to us sharing the ball and making the extra pass and tonight our team did very well about sharing the ball and making the extra pass so one of us could score.”

Young added “Everybody on the team can score. If everybody can get open up, Coach says shoot the ball and make it. If they’re hot, give it to the hot man.”

The Cougars took a 45-29 lead into the locker room at half time and continued their dominance of Louisiana in the second half.

The Ragin Cajuns scored first with a jumper by Steven Wronkoski 54 seconds into the game.

The Cougars tied it on a jumper by TaShawn Thompson at the 17:39 mark and never relinquished the lead the rest of the game.

Thompson also scored in double figures, contributing 15 points along with leading Houston with 13 rebounds.

The Cougars tallied 23 assists, their second highest for the season, along with only nine turnovers.

Houston will next face Chicago State on December 22 in the second game of a Hofheinz Pavilion double header.

The Houston women will play the first game of the double header with a 12 noon start against Texas State.

The men will tip-off at 3:00 p.m.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Photos from the demolition of Robertson Stadium


By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 10, 2012) With the "official" beginning of demolition of Robertson Stadium on Monday, many dignitaries, university officials, alumni and were on hand to witness the last day of the historic stadium.

TexSport Publications' staff photographer Kristine Kelly was on hand to document the event. Below are some of the photos.

The demolition was begun by Houston supporter Joe Chastang.

Former UH head football coach Bill Yoeman (far left) was on hand for the demolition.



       University President Renu Khator took a turn in the excavator to aid in the "work."

         After all the dignitaries completed their turn, the "real" demolition began.

Demolition of University of Houston's Robertson Stadium Begins

Photo by Kristine Kelly-TexSport Publications
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 10, 2012) With the touch of a button and a pull of a lever, the “official” demolition of Robertson Stadium began today on the campus of the University of Houston.

University dignitaries, members of the media, students and alumni were in attendance to see longtime Houston supporter Joe Chastang climb into the cab of a hydraulic excavator and begin the demolition of the southeast concession stand and restrooms.

Chastang earned the right to begin the demolition by having the high bid in an auction at the university’s “Hall of Honor” Gala in November.

Following his time in the excavator, he made the following statement to the press:


“I was sitting (at the gala banquet) and had a little bit to drink. I didn’t think my wife would want me to bid on it. But when it came up she nudged me and said ‘Aren’t you going to bid?’ I said, ‘Heck yeah, I’m going to bid on it.’ It was worth the money to be able to do.”


Chastang was not the only person who helped bring down “The Rob” on the cold Monday morning.

University president Renu Khator also climbed into the excavator and took her swings at the iconic stadium.

The demolition of the entire stadium complex should take about four to six weeks with the groundbreaking for the construction of the new stadium slated for early February.




Sunday, December 02, 2012

Houston women fall to TCU, 60-51



By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications 
 
FT. WORTH, TEXAS (December 2, 2012)  The Houston Cougars women could not extend their four-game winning streak when they
faced a stubborn TCU squad, falling to the Horned Frogs 60-51 on Sunday 
afternoon at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Ft. Worth.
 
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead in the first two minutes of the game and after that,
it was all TCU.
 
The Cougars did get within two points early in the second half, but TCU kept up 
the pressure to drop the Cougars to 4-5 for the season.
 
TCU raised its record to 3-2 with the win.
 
Senior guard Porsche Landry continued her domination on the court with 17 points, 
six assists and five rebounds.
 
Freshman forward Marche' Amerson contributed with 12 points and six rebounds.
 
Yazmeen Thompson led Houston with nine rebounds, while Te’onna Campbell 
added eight and Alecia Smith with seven.
The Cougars shot 29% from the field and 47% from the free throw line.
Natalie Ventress led TCU with 17 points, followed by Veja Hamilton with 10.
The Cougars will next face Creighton next Saturday with a 2:00 pm tip-off.

The game will be the first of a double-header with the Cougars men’s team playing in second game against Texas Southern University.

AGGIE GIVES BACK DURING THANKSGIVING BREAK


Submitted Photo


SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (December 2, 2012)  Normally, Thanksgiving break for college students means coming home to mom’s cooking, Thanksgiving dinner with family and three days worth of leftovers before having to pack up and get back to school.

But for Oklahoma Panhandle State University freshman tight end, Aubrey Oswalt, making the trip home from Oklahoma to San Marcos, TX wouldn’t be the end of his journey.

The former San Marcos Academy quarterback/cornerback decided to give back during his Thanksgiving break and assist two former Academy alumni before making the trek back to Goodwell.

Oswalt decided to volunteer for Gridrion Heroes. He was one of over 25 students from Texas State University and the University of Texas-San Antonio and Gridiron Heroes volunteers that sold rally towels benefitting the spinal cord injury foundation as fans walked into the Alamodome for the I-35 Rivalry matchup of Texas State and UTSA.

Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation provides immediate and long term resources and support to individuals sustaining a catastrophic spinal cord injury through activities associated with high school football. Gridiron Heroes is a 501 (C) 3 Non-Profit organization.

Oswalt got to know former SMA Bear Chris Canales through projects with his father’s company, Sports Marketing Experts.

On November 2, 2001, Chris Canales, a senior defensive back playing for San Marcos Academy, sustained a spinal cord injury during the fourth quarter of his final regular season game.  Chris lay motionless on the field for 19 minutes. The next three weeks, Chris fought for his life.  The following months he battled through rehabilitation trying to gain movement and learning how to function as a quadriplegic.

Chris’ injury and the lack of any organized support system for families prompted his father, Eddie Canales, the Canales family and former coach Mike Kipp to begin discussions about the desperate need for an organization for families who were forced to deal with the consequences of this devastating injury.

Last year, Eddie Canales was nominated as a CNN Hero of the year.

About 5,000 Gridiron Heroes rally towels were available at tailgate areas and all entrances prior to kickoff. 

The towels were produced at a reduced cost to Gridiron Heroes by Rivercity Sportswear.

“It’s fun to be a part of it,” said Oswalt, who helped load boxes of towels into carts and assisted directly in sales. “I’m excited to be in Texas for Thanksgiving break. It’s a special time of year. All the sharing, giving, appreciate, it comes with a great day and a good game between teams from my home area in the Alamodome.”

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Houston Cougars drop to 5-2 on season after 70-59 loss to Texas A&M

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loco Photography
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2012 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 1, 2012) Despite outscoring Texas A and M by seven points in the second half, the Houston Cougars could not overcome their first half deficit and fell to the Aggies 70-59 at Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday evening.

The Cougars could not get past their first half performance, which saw Texas A and M take a 42-24 lead at halftime.

Houston’s rebounding, or more precisely a lack of it, was a major factor in the game.

The Aggies out-rebounded the Cougars 40-26, with 14 of them coming on the offensive end of the court.

The Cougars managed a mere seven offensive boards during the game.

Houston head coach James Dickey addressed that very issue in the post-game press conference.


“We’ve got to go get more offensive rebounds; got to go to the glass more. Rebounding is something we work on every day and we will continue to do that.”

Sophomore guard J.J. Thompson was also questioned about the rebounding.

When asked about his thoughts about the rebounding, he responded:


“They were just tougher than us. Throughout the whole night, they were more tough and played harder.”

For the Cougars, Thompson led all scores with 16 points, while red shirt freshman guard Jherrod Stiggers tallied 12 and freshman forward Danuel House added 10.

House also led the Cougars with six rebounds.

For the Aggies, senior guard Elston Turner tied his career high of 26 points.

He was 10-21 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line.

The Aggies jumped out to a 6-0 lead at the beginning of the game before House tipped in a missed jumper by freshman guard Joseph Young.

The Cougars got within one point of the Aggies at the 12:47 mark in the first half off a three-pointer by Stiggers.

After that, the Cougars never got closer than three points for the remainder of the game.

Houston dropped to 5-2 for the season, with their only other loss against Prairie View A and M.

With the loss, the Cougars drop to 53-31 lifetime against the Aggies.

The last time the Houston and Texas A and M faced off at Hofheinz Pavilion was December 27, 2001 with the Cougars coming away with a 70-61 overtime win.

The Cougars will face another former Southwest Conference rival in TCU when the travel to Ft. Worth for an 8:00 p.m. match on Tuesday.