Houston Cougars drop first conference game of season to Tulane Green Wave

Photo by Darla S. Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (December 30, 2015) Marche’ Amerson scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds, but it was not enough as the Houston Cougars dropped a 70-48 decision to the Tulane Green Wave at Avon B. Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse in New Orleans, Louisiana on Wednesday, December 30, 2015. The game was the first American Athletic Conference game for both teams and their final game of 2015.

The Cougars trailed 38-16 at the half; shooting 23% and improved to 40% in the second half. They shot 32% (19-60) from the field, 17% (3-18) from three-point range, and 47% (7-15) from the line in the final game stats. The Cougars' bench scored 24 points in the effort, along with 12 second-chance points. Amerson’s seven rebounds was a season high for the senior from Bryan, Texas. Chyanne Butler scored eight points for the Cougars, while teammates Jacqueline Blake and Jessieka Palmer added seven points each.

Houston head coach Ronald Hughey discussed the Houston effort with the media at the post-game press conference.

Photo by Darla S. Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

“We didn’t come out with a lot of focus and energy in the beginning. It’s all about energy and effort: especially when you’re playing a good team. You can’t have live ball turnovers to allow them to get into transition, and you have to rebound the basketball. Those two things we didn’t do well to start out. But, we’ll get back and fix things, and watch the Peach Bowl, and support the football team, and then we’ll go to practice.”

For the Green Wave, Leslie Vorpahl scored 25 points; a season high for the junior guard who played her high school ball at Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas. Senior forward Tierra Jones got her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Kolby Morgan also scored 12 points for Tulane.

Next up for the Cougars, who fell to 4-8 for the season, will be the Temple Owls in a 2 p.m. CST matchup in Houston on January 2, 2016. The Owls are 7-4 for the season and 1-0 in conference play. The Green Wave, as result of the win over Houston, are 10-3 for the season, will next play Memphis on January 3, 2016 on the road.

HBU Huskies dismantle Ecclesia Royals 101-47

Photo by Darla S. Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 29, 2015) The HBU Huskies took a 13-point lead into the locker room at halftime and poured it on in the second half as they downed the Ecclesia Royals by the score of 101-47 in front of 501 fans at Sharp Gym in Houston, Texas on Tuesday, December 29, 2015. The win was their third 100-plus point game this season and raised their record to 5-7. The Royals, who play in the National Christian College Athletic Association, fell to 8-5.

The Huskies had five players score in double figures with 13 players contributing to the scoring. Starting guard Josh Ibarra got his third double-double of the season; scoring 10 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. The 15 rebounds were a season high for Ibarra. Fellow starting guard Anthony Odunsi led the HBU scoring with 17 points, while starting forward Colter Lasher tallied 15 points. Reveal Chukwujekwu added 13 points in the winning effort with Trey Patterson contributing 12 points. HBU shoot 58% in the game after shooting 48% in the first half. The 61 second half points were aided by their 69% shooting.

The Ramblers were led by Jarvis Green, scoring 11 points off the bench. David Gaut pulled down seven rebounds for Ecclesia in their loss. They shot 23% from the field and a mere 17% from the free throw line.

Photo by Darla S. Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

HBU will kick off their Southland Conference schedule in their next game, on January 2, 2016 against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Head coach Ron Cottrell talked about HBU’s upcoming conference schedule after the win against Ecclesia.

"Everything we have done to this point in our non-conference schedule has been to prep up for the Southland Conference race. This is a tough conference and one that is filled with terrific athletes and coaches. I have a lot of respect for every program in our league. On Saturday, we go to Northwestern State, our first trip there as a conference opponent. They will be a different task for us, but we are excited to get going. I think our guys are as prepared as we need to be."

Game time against Northwestern State is set for 3 p.m. CST.

Houston Cougars down Nicholls Colonels 76-49 prior to starting conference play

The Cougars raised their season mark to 10-2 with a
76-49 win over the Nicholls Colonels.
Photo by Robert H Kelly

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 28, 2015) In a game that saw 35 defensive rebounds by the Cougars, Houston raised their season record to 10-2 with a 76-49 win over the Nicholls Colonels on Monday, December 28, 2015 at Hofheinz Pavilion. Three Cougars scored in double figures and one player contributed with 10 assists.

Houston jumped out to a 31-20 lead at halftime, and poured it on with 45 points in the second half. Starting guard Devonta Pollard led the Cougars with his third highest point total of the season; 18 points. The senior from Porterville, Mississippi also tallied eight rebounds, four at each end of the court, while shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 4-4 from the line. Damyean Dotson scored 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Rob Gray, Jr. added 14 points and five defensive rebounds. Pollard, who saw 27 minutes of playing time, added three assists, two blocks and one steal to his season stats.

The Cougars scored 27 points off the bench with Eric Weary, Jr. and Wes Van Beck contributing eight points each and Danrad Knowles chipping in six. Houston tallied 20 second chance points and shot 46% from the field in the winning effort.

For the Colonels, Quinton Thomas came off the bench to score 15 points, with Ja’Dante’ Frye and Liam Thomas added nine points each. With the loss, Nicholls falls to 4-9 in their last game of 2015 and prior to the start of their conference schedule against Lamar. Houston will finished off 2015 on the road with their first conference game against USF on December 30.

Post-game statement by Rice Owls head coach Tina Langley

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 21, 2015) Post-game statement by head coach Tina Langley after the Rice Owls drop a 69-66 overtime decision to Texas Southern University in women's basketball on Monday, December 21, 2015. 

Video by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography, All Rights Reserved

Houston falls to UTRGV 55-44 in women's college basketball action

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 20, 2015) Houston Cougars' starting forward Seritia Hawkins get her first double-double of the season, but her performance was not enough to curtail the offensive punch of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley as they dropped a 55-45 decision at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Sunday, December 20, 2015. The freshman guard, who played her prep ball at Southmoore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, scored 13 point and pulled down 11 rebounds. Teammate Tyler Gilbert scored 12 point off the bench in the Cougars’ effort.

The Cougars held a 9-5 lead after 10 minutes of play, with turnovers playing a key role in the score. UTRGV had five, while Houston posted eight. Houston shot 40% from the field, but the Vaqueros could only manage 16%. Both teams picked up the pace in the second quarter with the score being tied at 23 at halftime. Houston fell to 38% in shooting with UTRGV picking theirs to 33%. Turnovers continued to play a part of the game with both teams adding six more in the second quarter. The third quarter saw the Vaqueros score nine points to jump ahead of the Cougars by the score of 42-36. The fourth quarter was the clincher for UTRGV as they outscored the Cougars 13-9 to take the game. The Vaqueros had two players scoring in double figures. Starting guard Shawnte’ Goff scored 16 points, while starting forward Hild Kjartansdottir tallied 14.

With the loss, the Cougars fall to 4-7 for the season, while UTRGV goes to 7-6. Houston will have 10 days off to prepare for the Tulane Green Wave on December 30, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rio Grande Valley will face Evengel on the same date at home.

Houston downs Eastern Illinois 81-65 in men's basketball

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 19, 2015) The Houston Cougars raised their season record to 8-1 as they downed Eastern Illinois by the score of 81-65 at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on December 19, 2015. The second round of the Global Sports Classic saw three Cougars scoring in double figures.

Starting guard Ronnie Johnson scored 25 points in the effort; with Damyean Dotson and Galen Robinson, Jr. scoring 16 and 11 points, respectively. Cornell Johnson score 19 in the losing effort for Eastern Illinois.

The Cougars will face Grand Canyon University in the semi-final round of the Classic on December 21, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Houston Texans remain at top of AFC South despite 27-6 loss to New England

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved.

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 15, 2015) Two field goals were all they could manage on Sunday night and that was not enough for the Houston Texans, as they fell to the New England Patriots by the score of 27-6 at NRG Stadium in Houston on December 13, 2015., With the loss, the Texans fall to 6-7 for the season, but remain in a first place tie for the lead in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots jumped out to a 7-3 lead after 15 minutes with a Tom Brady short pass to wide receiver Keshawn Martin for the touchdown. Stephen Gostkowski split the uprights for the extra point. The Texans added a 37-yard Nick Novak field goal with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

The Texas and Patriots traded field goals in the second quarter with Gostkowski scoring from 43-yard out at the 12:18 mark for New England. Novak added the second Texan field goal with 9:30 remaining in the half. Novak’s 45-yard kick closed out the scoring for the Texans. With 19 seconds left in the half, Brady hit tight end Rob Gronkowski with a one-yard pass for the touchdown. Gostkowski again added the extra point to give the Patriots a 20-6 lead at the half. The Patriots added another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run up the middle by running back James White and Gostkowski’s extra point.

Offensively, Brady was 22-of-30 in the air for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer completed 11-of-12 passes for 155 yards before he left the game with a concussion. T.J. Yates replaced Hoyer as the signal caller and completed one pass for four yards.

Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was questioned by the media concerning Hoyer in the post-game press conference after the game. He stated:

 “Well first I’ll tell you, there’s nothing more important than the health and safety of every player in that locker room. I think that’s paramount. That’s number one, and as far as those things go, I think obviously it’s too early to tell. Obviously whenever you suffer a concussion like that, multiple concussions within a five or six-week span, obviously the player himself is concerned about that. Nobody is more concerned than I am because of my relationship with Brian and his family. I think that the Houston Texans will always do what’s best for the player.”

He was also questioned about defensive end J.J. Watt playing with a broken hand.

 “Yeah, there are two parts to the answer of that question. First, one thing that I will say is that he will get more and more adjusted to having that club on his hand, without the use of his fingers. That is the type of athlete he is, that is the type of worker that he is. He is just a great player. But I think the other thing too is to look at, when you watch him play, it’s not all about the stats. He put a lot of heat on (Tom) Brady. He did a lot of things in the running game to help stop the run. Even though he may not have been the one making the tackle, he was very disruptive, along with (Jadeveon) Clowney, along with some other guys in there, so he still is his disruptive self. Just because it doesn’t always show up on the stats sheet doesn’t mean he didn’t have a good game. I thought that he played a whale of a game.”

Next up for the Texans is a Sunday, December 20, 2015 match-up against Indianapolis. The game will kick off at 12 noon CST at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Houston falls to UNLV Lady Rebels 63-30

Photo by Robert Kelly
Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2015 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 12, 2015) After jumping out to a 34-30 halftime lead over the Lady Rebels, the Houston Cougars could not contain their offensive power late in the game, and fell to UNLV by the score of 63-30 at Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday, December 12, 2015. The Lady Rebels outscored the Cougars 17-11 in the final quarter to send the Cougars to 3-6 for the season.

For the Cougars, Jessieka Palmer came off the bench to lead Houston’s scoring with 16 points. Starting guard Kierra Graves added 10 in the Cougars’ effort. Three players scored in double digits for UNLV; with Brooke Johnson and Dakota Gonzalez scoring 17 points and Nikki Wheatley added 16. The Lady Rebels led in rebounds (46-28) and assists (12-11) while both teams had eight steals.

Next up for the Cougars will be a Thursday, December 17 game against Texas A and M-Corpus Christi on the road. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CST.

WELLNESS49.COM AND A.C. GREEN JOIN HEART OF TEXAS BOWL TEAM

Photo courtsey of  C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl
Used with permission.

A.C. GREEN TO FLIP KICKOFF COIN AND MAKE HEART OF TEXAS BOWL APPEARANCE

COPPERAS COVE, TEXAS (December 3, 2015)  The Hoffpauir Auto Group C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl will now be powered by Wellness49.com on December 5^th, 2015.

The announcement was made today by bowl committee administration. Wellness49.com is led by Founders A.C. Green and Dr. Tony Serna. The group recently opened a rehabilitation facility in Killeen, Texas. They already have a practice in Sacramento, California and work with Kings of the National Basketball Association. The practice also donates 25% of its’ proceeds to Gridiron Heroes.

A.C. Green will flip the coin to start the bowl game. Green said, “We at Wellness49.com are so excited about being one of the largest sponsors of this bowl game.”

Green will also be available for autographs on a limited edition 8x10 print suitable for framing. Green was a four-year star at Oregon State University, where he finished second in school history in rebounding and fourth in scoring. The Los Angeles Lakers, fresh from winning an NBA championship, selected Green in the first round as the 23rd overall pick in the 1985 NBA draft.

Photo courtsey of  C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl
Used with permission.

Green led the Lakers in rebounding for six of his eight years on the team. Led by Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles captured back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, Green's second and third years with the squad. In the two campaigns combined, he averaged 11.1 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting better than .500 from the field. Green also reached the NBA Finals with Los Angeles in 1989 and 1991. Green was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1988–89, was voted a starter on the 1990 Western Conference All-Star Team and finished fourth in the league in field goal percentage in 1992–93 at .537.

Green also played for the Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He is also known as the Iron Man of the NBA. Green's consecutive games played streak began on November 19, 1986, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio. The streak ended on April 18, 2001 when the Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic in Orlando.

" WHOLE BODY CRYOBATH IS BASED ON THE GENERAL PREMISE THAT THE HUMAN BODY IS A COMPLETELY SELF-REGULATING SYSTEM AND THE BEST MECHANISM FOR DIAGNOSING ITS OWN DISORDERS. THEREFORE, THE MAIN GOAL OF WHOLE BODY CRYOBATH IS TO STIMULATE THE BODY TO REGAIN ITS OWN ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM ITS OWN DISORDERS."

The Whole Body Cryocabin is a single-person device which keeps your head and neck out of the device, the maximum treatment time is 3 minutes but doors are never locked; the treatment may be terminated at any time; the chamber is safely cooled with liquid nitrogen, temperature gradually drops to -276°

The visible benefits of Whole Body Cryotherapy are bringing considerable attention among athletes around the world, and now it´s available for you right here in Killeen, Texas. Wellness49.com invites all area athletes to “come and freeze” with the likes of AC Green, LeBron James, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and hundreds of other professional athletes.

The 15th-Annual C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl will take place December 5th at Bulldawg Stadium.

The C.H.A.M.P.S Heart of Texas Bowl has announced that the teams playing in this year's bowl game are as follows.

Eastern New Mexico vs. Arkansas Tech

December 5, 2015 AT Bulldawg Stadium 6 p.m. Kickoff

Kilgore College vs. East Central Community College

December 5, 2015 AT Bulldawg Stadium 11 a.m. Kickoff

About:

The Heart of Texas Bowl features two major bowl games each year in December at Bulldawg Stadium in Copperas Cove Texas. These highly prestigious bowls match two top junior colleges from the National Junior College Athletic Association with the second bowl game pitting two top four year schools from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. II, one of these from the Lone Star Conference playing another top national team.

A team from the NJCAA Texas region and the Lone Star Conference are guaranteed bids.