Houston falls to Rice 7-4 in first game of Silver Glove Series

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 22, 2016) The No. 16 Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls took to the grass inside Darryl and Lori Schroeder Field on the campus of the University of Houston on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 for the first game of their annual Silver Glove Series. After playing an intense nine innings, Houston dropped a 7-4 decision to the Owls.

Rice jumped out to an early two-run lead in the first inning and extended their lead to 4-0 after the second inning. The Cougars responded in the bottom of the second, scoring two runs to cut the Owls’ lead back to two. Rice tallied their fifth run in the fifth inning, with Houston responding the keep the Owls’ two run advantage intact heading into the final four innings of the game. Houston, after a momentous seventh innings which saw their bats explode for four hits and one run. With one out in the ninth inning, Rice capitalized on two Houston errors to add two additional runs to their total to close out the scoring.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

The second game of the Silver Glove series will a May 10 matchup at Reckling Park on the Rice University campus. The third meeting between these two cross-town rivals, and the possible rubber game of the series, will take place at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas on May 17. Both games have a scheduled 6:30 p.m. first-pitch.

Next up for the Cougars is a three-game home series against the George Washington Colonialsbeginning on Thursday, March 23 with a 6:30 p.m. start. They will continue the series on Friday, March 24 with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch and finish it up on Saturday, March 25 with a 1 p.m. start. George Washington brings an 8-13 record into the weekend series, while the Cougars post a 13-7 mark.

Rice will host Conference USA opponent Old Dominion on Friday, March 25; followed by a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday, March 26. They will close out their three-game series with a noon meeting on Sunday, March 27.

Grand Canyon Lopes fall to bats of Houston Cougars 5-0

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 19, 2016) The No. 19 Houston Cougars took the first game of a Saturday, March 19, 2016 doubleheader over the Grand Canyon Lopes by the score of 5-0 at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park in Houston, Texas. The game was moved to Saturday due to excessive rain and hail in the Houston area on Friday evening, March 18.

The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when Houston’s Conner Hollis scampered home on a passed ball by Lopes’ starting pitcher Jorge Perez. The second baseman scored from third base after reaching base on a triple down the right field line, as the second batter of the inning. The Cougars then unleashed the bats in the seventh inning, scoring four runs off four hits and one Grand Canyon error for the win.

Starter Andrew Lantrip when the distance for the Cougars, giving up two hits while striking out seven. With the win, the right hander raised his season record to 3-2 with a 1.53 ERA. Perez was crediting with the loss, his fourth of the season. The Cougars take a 11-6 mark into the second game of the double header, with left hander Seth Romero scheduled to take the mount for Houston. The sophomore from West Columbia, Texas posts a 1.29 ERA coming into the 6:30 p.m. game with a 2-0 record for 2016.

Grand Canyon will counter with left hander Ethan Evanko, who is 2-1 for the season with a 5.19 ERA. Both teams will close out the weekend series with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, March 20, 2016. Left handed pitcher Jake Rapavich is scheduled for the start for the Lopes, while Houston head coach Todd Whitting is yet to declare his starter.

HBU beach volleyball comes up short against No. 2 Florida State

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSportPublications

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 19, 2016) The Houston Baptist University beach volleyball team dropped their first match of the 2016 season with a 5-0 loss to the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles in the Fight at the Fort tournament at the TCU Beach Volleyball Courts in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, March 19, 2016. In the best three-out-of-five match, the Huskies dropped all five sets in two games.

Both duos of Guinevere Meyer and Haley Durham and Hailey Erickson and Laura Fox dropped their sets by identical scores of 21-13, 21-14 to their Florida State opponents. Meyer and Durham fell to Eva Torruella and Brooke Kuhlman while Erickson and Fox lost to Katherine Plessy and Ali Eager.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved.

The HBU pair of Madison O’Brien and Bailey Banks dropped a 21-11, 21-12 decision to the Seminoles’ Tori Paranagua and Nona Pelletier. Fellow Huskies Ashlee Vann and Melissa Fuchs came up short in their set by the same score against Nikki Esposito and Haley Luke. In the fifth match, Jessica Wooten and Aeriel Horton lost 21-4, 21-8 to Jace Pardon and Julie Brown.

Florida State finished the 2015 season with a 13-6 record and a tie for seventh finish at the AVCA Sand Volleyball National Championships. 2016 is their fifth year of competition. They will next face the TCU Horned Frogs in the second round of the tournament. Next up for the Huskies is a Saturday afternoon matchup against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders dropped a 5-0 decision to host TCU to go to 0-3 for the season. With the win, the Horned Frogs raised their season record to 5-2.

HBU takes inaugural beach volleyball match 3-2 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 17, 2016) The Houston Baptist University Huskies kicked off their NCAA beach volleyball season with a 3-2 win over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at Third Coast Volleyball Club in Houston, Texas on Thursday, March 17, 2016. The Huskies took all three matches in straight sets, with one of their losses going to a deciding third set in the first meeting of the season kickoff double header.

The duo of Haley Durham and Guinevere Meyer took the first sets by the scores of 21-19 and 21-6 over the Islanders’ Mallory Moran and Kirstee McGarva. The Islanders pair kept it close in the first set, with the Husky duo totally dominating the second game for the victory.

The Huskies took two additional set for the overall win. The pair of Ashley Van and Melissa Fuchs downed Corpus Christi’s Morgan Williams and Madeleine Doud in straight games; 21-14, 21-14. Their third win was a 21-8, 21-9 decision by Jessica Wooten and Aeriel Horton over Brianna Brink and Kate Klepetka. The Islanders’ Maddie Woods and Madison Green took a 21-10, 21-19 decision over HBU’s Hailey Erickson and Laura Fox for one of their wins. In the only three-game set of the day, the Corpus Christi’s Kristyn Nicholson and Morgan Carlson downed the HBU pair of Madison O’Brien and Bailey Banks 21-17, 21-23, 19-17.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved.

The Huskies and the Islanders will face off later in the day in the nightcap of the double-header. After the Houston matchup between the two first-year teams, they will both head to Fort Worth to compete in the Fight at the Fort tournament on March 19-20, 2016. The tournament is hosted by TCU and will include No. 2 Florida State.

Dotson, Artis file lawsuit against University of Oregon

Daymean Dotson is asking for $10 million in damages
from the University of Oregon.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 15, 2016) It has been reported by ESPN and The Oregonian on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 that University of Houston junior guard Damyean Dotson, along with fellow University of Oregon player Dominic Artis, have filed a lawsuit against the University of Oregon for their dismissal from the university following a sexual assault investigation. The dismissal came in May, 2014 after accusation of the rape of a fellow student at a campus party. Neither player was charged in the matter. The suit is asking for $10 million for both Dotson and Artis. The suit was filed four months after former teammate Brandon Austin initiated his own legal action against the university in the dismissal, asking for $7.5 million in damages.

Subsequent to the dismissal from the University of Oregon, Dotson transferred to the University of Houston, after attending Houston Community College from 2014 to 2015. He started in 31 games for the Cougars in 205-2016, averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. He connected for 62 three-pointers, shooting 36.9% from beyond the arc. In addition, he averaged 6.81 rebounds for the season along with 39 assists six blocked shots and 20 steals.

The Houston native played his high school ball at Jack Yates (Houston) High School, where he was named the 2012 Greater Houston Player of the Year and was selected Class 4A All-District, All-Region, and All-State honors his senior year. As a freshman at Oregon, Dotson was named to the Kyle Macy Freshman All-American Team in 2013 along with being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team. The American Athletic Conference honored Dotson with an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection.

Dotson will lead the Houston Cougars in the National Invitational Tournament with a first-round game against Georgia Tech on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 with an 8 p.m. CST tipoff at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia.

HBU Huskies men's basketball extend season; will play in CBI Tournament

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 15, 2016) In the press conference after their loss to the SFA Lumberjacks in the Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, Houston Baptist University head basketball coach Ron Cottrell was asked how he could use their semi-final appearance to build for next season. He stated their hope was the season was not over. On Sunday, March 13, 2016, their wish was answered when they were invited to compete in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tournament.

The Huskies are one of 16 teams selected to play in the single-elimination tournament and will face the University of North Carolina-Greensboro on Wednesday, March 16. The game will be played at Greensboro Coliseum with a 7 p.m. EDT tipoff. The Spartans bring a 14-18 record into game after winning five of their last six games. The Huskies posted a 16-15 record in 2016, including a 10-8 record in Southland Conference play.

This will be their first appearance in the post-season since HBU returned to NCAA Division I in 2007. The Huskies have previous made 11 appearances in the post-season in program history under Cottrell, including 10 consecutive NAIA tournament appearance. HBU will be led by senior Anthony Odunsi, who was named first team All-Southland Conference. The Sugar Land, Texas native played in 32 games for the Huskies, averaging 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Sophomore Josh Ibarra lead the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 63.1% of his attempts while senior Jourdan Stickler held the top mark for three-point percentage with 45.9%. For his play. Ibarra was honored with an honorable mention All-Conference selection.

Houston late comeback falls short in 4-2 loss to Baylor

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography, Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 4, 2016) Catcher Conner Wong connected for his second home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it was not enough to silence the bats of the Baylor Bears as the No. 21 Houston Cougars dropped a 4-2 decision at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park in Houston, Texas on Friday, March 4, 2016. It was the fifth straight loss of the season for the Cougars.

Baylor scored first when right fielder Richard Cunningham advanced home on a wild pitch by Houston starter Andrew Lantrip. The right hander hurled the ball past Wong allowing Cunningham to score after leading off the fourth inning with a triple to deep right field.

The Bears added their second run when catcher Matt Menard homered to deep left field on a 3-2 pitch by Lantrip to double their score. They added an insurance run in the eighth inning after the Cougars committed back-to-back errors, allowing two runs to get on base after walking leadoff batter Steven McLean. The third baseman scored from third on a sacrifice fly to right field by left fielder Darryn Sheppard.

In the ninth inning, the Bears again took advantage of a Houston wild pitch when shortstop Josh Bissonette score from third when relief pitcher Tanner Lawson lost control of the ball. Wong’s home run also scored Robert Grilli, who was pinch running for shortstop Jose Reyes after he reached first base by being hit by a pitch.

The Cougars will take to field to face the Bears in game two of the three-game of the weekend series at 6:45 p.m. CST on Saturday, March 5, 2016. 

Russ, HBU Baseball Hold Down UTRGV, 6-2

Photo from HBU Media Relations Department
Used with permission.

Junior RHP Addison Russ has dominating outing for Huskies.

From HBU Media Relations Department

EDINBURG, TEXAS (February 28, 2016) HBU junior righthander Addison Russ took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and the Huskies’ bats came alive in a 6-2 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley in the Al Ogletree Classic Saturday night at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

Russ (2-0) allowed two runs on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk in seven innings. He had held UTRGV hitless through seven, until allowing four-straight singles to lead off the eighth. Senior righthander Matt Harding earned the first save of career, throwing a perfect final two innings.

Junior centerfielder Joe Van Marter went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run, while senior second baseman Greg Espinosa went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs for the Huskies (4-3). Junior rightfielder Brandon Brintz went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and senior first baseman Andrew Alvarez went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to seven games and his reaching safely streak to 17. Senior shortstop Louie Payetta also went 2-for-4.

Edgar Cordon, Isaac Gonzalez, Manny Loredo and Caden Rosholt had the four singles for UTRGV (2-5).

Ryan Jackson (0-2) took the loss for the Vaqueros, allowing six runs, three earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings. Zach Martinez, Luis Larrinaga and George Lamb combined for 4.1 shutout innings in relief.

Espinosa led off the game by slapping a double down the rightfield line, then Payetta and Brintz followed with singles to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

With two outs in the fourth, senior third baseman Justin Monsour beat on an infield single, Van Marter reached on an error, then Espinosa blooped an RBI double to shallow left. Payetta walked to load the bases, then Brintz ripped a two-run single to right to extend HBU’s lead to 4-0.

Junior catcher Blake Thomas walked to lead off the fifth, then junior designated hitter Christian Thames blasted a double to left. Monsour brought another run home with a sacrifice fly, then Van Marter’s RBI single to left made the score 6-0.

Cordon pinch hit to lead off the eighth for UTRGV and singled to right to break up Russ’s no-hit bid. Gonzalez also pinch hit and bounced a single through the right side. Loredo singled to load the bases, then Rosholt’s RBI single fell just out of the reach of a diving Van Marter to cut the lead to 6-1. Harding came in and got Joseph Callazo to ground into a double play, which plated another run, but Austin Douglas stuck out looking to end the threat.

Harding then set down the Vaqueros in order in the ninth to preserve the win.

HBU wraps up the Al Ogletree Classic against Washington State Sunday at noon. The Legacy Sports Network broadcast with Russ Reneau can be heard at 11:45 a.m., beginning with the pregame show, on HBUHuskies.com. Fans can also watch the game via Periscope on the official HBU Athletics Twitter page, @HBUHuskies. The link for the Periscope broadcast will also be available on the “live video” link for the game on HBUHuskies.com.

HBU Huskies fall to Incarnate Word 97-91

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 22, 2016) The Houston Baptist University Huskies made an attempt at a comeback late in the second half, but fell short has they dropped a 97-91 decision to the Incarnate Word University Cardinals at Sharp Gymnasium in Houston on Monday, February 22, 2016. The loss dropped the Huskies to 10-5 in the Southland Conference and 16-12 for the season. The Cardinals raised their conference record to 9-5 and 14-11 for the season.

The Huskies and the Cardinals battled back and forth the entire first quarter, with neither team able to gain an advantage of any significance until the final five minutes of the first half. Incarnate Word when on a 20-13 to take a 51-43 lead into the locker room at halftime. Starting forward Colter Lashertallied 13 of the HBU’s first half points with Cody Stetler adding 10. The Cardinals had three players scoring in double figures in the first half.

In the second half, HBU was able to outscore the Cardinals 48-46, but it was not enough to overcome the Cardinals’ first half effort. The Huskies had four played score in double figures for the came, with Lasher finishing the contest with 24 points. Anthony Odunsi paced HBU with 25 points, with Stetler adding three points in the second half to go with his ten points from the first half. Caleb Crayton came off the bench to add 10 to the effort. The Cardinals had five players in double figures with Derail Green leading the way with 23 points. They shot 62.5% from the field and 50% from three-point range, which was a season high for HBU opponents.

Next up for HBU is a February 27 matchup against the SFA Lumberjacks. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST in Nacogdoches.

USA downs Canada 2-0 to take CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship

Both teams advance to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

By Robert H Kelly

Photo by Robert H Kelly-TexSport Publications
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (Sunday, February 21, 2016) The United States capped their fourth consecutive CONCACAFWomen’s Olympic Qualifying Championship at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas with a 2-0 win over Canada in the final match of the tournament. Both the United States and Canada will advance to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July-August, 2016.

The game started out with both teams trying to find the weakness in each other’s defense. It was a battle, moving from one end of the pitch to the other with neither team able to get an advantage. The game continued as a defensive battle without either team finding the goal in the first half.  The only event in the first half was Canada’s Josee Belanger receiving a yellow card. The starting defender, who plays professionally for the Orlando Pride was cited for aggressive play.

The USA finally found a way round the stubborn Canadian defense in the 53^rd minute. Midfielder Lindsay Horan beat goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe to the ball and sent it out to defender Becky Sauerbrunn. She immediately sent the ball back to Horan, who headed the ball pass Labbe for the score. They added an insurance goal in the 61^st minute when starting midfielder Tobin Heath connected from 25 yards out on the right side.

Both teams will advance to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The two teams met twice previously in the finals of the Olympic qualifying tournament. In 2008, the United States came out on top, as a result of penalty kicks. With no score after regulation, they played two overtime periods with Carli Lloyd scoring for the USA in the 108^th minute and Melissa Tancredi scoring the equalizer in the 116^th minute. The game went to penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play with the USA coming out on top 6-5. In 2012, the USA shocked Canada 4-0 with Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach each scoring two goals in the win.

HBU Huskies fall to SFA Ladyjacks 64-50 in Southland Conference basketball action

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 6, 2016) Leading by one point with the final period to play, the Houston Baptist University Huskies were unable to contain the fourth period scoring of Stephen F. Austin and fell to the Ladyjacks by the score of 64-50 at Sharp Gymnasium in Houston on Saturday, February 6, 2016. The Huskies fell to 5-6 in Southland Conference action while SFA climbed to 5-5. The Ladyjacks held a 16-14 advantage after 10 minutes of play and took a 30-29 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Huskies outscore SFA in the third period 14-12, but the fourth period was the deciding factor. The Ladyjacks outscored HBU 22-7 in the final period to secure the win.

HBU starting forward Monet Neal connected for 18 points, while Heidi Sihvola added 13 from the bench. Starting forward Anna Strickland pulled down 11 rebounds and tallied four assists. For SFA, starting guard Taylyor Ross hit for 25 points with Chanell Hayes adding 12. Kennedy Harris added 10 rebounds to her season total.

The Huskies have seven games remaining in the 2015-16 season with their next matchup occurring on Wednesday, February 10 with a 7 p.m. CST contest against the Lamar Cardinals. They will then hit the road for two games before returning to Sharp Gymnasium to face Abilene Christian on February 24. They will hit the road to again face the Ladyjacks on February 27. Their final two home games will be against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 3 and Incarnate Word on March 5. The Southland Conference Tournament will be held on March 9-13 at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

Concerts, parades highlight first weekend of Mardi Gras Galveston 2016

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

GALVESTON, TEXAS (January 31, 2016)  Mardi Gras 2016 kicked off in Galveston, Texas on Friday, January 29 and continued through Sunday, January 31 with concerts, parades, and the usual celebrations. People from all over the Texas Gulf Coast, Houston, and southeast Texas area converged on the island to partake in the revelry.

On Sunday, January 31, Cajun and country music performer Kevin Anthony took to the Budweiser Stage on The Strand at 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Fans danced and sang-a-long to “The Gulf Coast” sound, which combines honky tonk stylings and hill country music to produce his unique music. Beginning at 2:30 p.m. and continuing until 3:30 p.m., The Bilge Pumps took to the Budweiser Stage to entertain the crowd. The pirate music group from the Dallas/Fort Worth area performed Celtic, sea songs and shanties for a mixture of music and comedic antics.

Sunday also saw the first two parades of Galveston’s Mardi Gras with the Sunshine Kids Parade beginning at 1 p.m. in downtown Galveston. The Sunshine Kids is a charitable organization that provides activities for children with cancer. At 3 p.m., the Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston Parade began in The Strand District of Galveston, featur;ings the world famous Clydesdales.

Mardi Gras Galveston will continue on Friday, February 5 until Sunday February 7 with more parades and concerts by headliners Collective Soul, Cory Monroe, and Candyland & Fight Clvb.

Saloom, Rapp take top honors in ABB 5K on Houston Marathon Weekend

Over 4,000 runenrs took to the streets of Houston for the
ABB 5K on Houston Marathon Weekend.
Photo by Kristine Kelly-TexSport Publications
 Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 16, 2016) Houston Marathon weekend kicked off day two on Saturday, January 16, 2016 with the running of the ABB 5K through the streets of Houston. Over 4,000 runners started at the corner of McKinney and Crawford Streets in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center with the first runners crossing the finish line 15 minutes later.

Placing first overall in the men’s division was 26-year-old Adam Saloom. The former distance runner for the Stephen F Austin State University Lumberjacks covered the distance in 15:11. He was closely followed by Jason Garcia. The 25-year-old former Texas A&M-Corpus Christi runner finished seven seconds behind Saloom, for runner-up honors. Third place, with the same time as Garcia, was 23-year-old Geoffrey Speelman. Overall, six male runners cracked the 16-minute barrier to lead the field.

In the woman’s division, Sarah Rapp topped all female runners with a 16:52 performance. The former Virginia Tech runner rans away with the female division, posting a 2:06 victory over second place Mary Alenbrat. Rapp was the seventh person overall across the finish line, only being bested by sex male runners. She, along with Garcia, runs for Team Green Running and is coached by Dan Green, the winner of the first Houston Marathon in 1972. Finishing in third place was 39-year-old Mandy Plante, who completed the course in 19:07.

Houston Marathon weekend will continue on Saturday with the Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Medicine Expo from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. On Sunday, January 17, 2016, the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco 13.1 Houston Half Marathon will kick off at 6:45 a.m. CST with the wheelchair division of the marathon and half marathon. Fifteen minutes later will see the open division of both events beginning. Live coverage will be broadcast in ABC Channel 13 in Houston and ESPN3 on the internet.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to release performance lineup for 2016 Rodeo Houston on January 11

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 4, 2016) The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will release the performance lineup for the 2016 edition of Rodeo Houston on Monday morning, January 11, 2016 at 12:05 a.m.

The announcement will be made via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and text alerts, along by general press release through local and national media outlooks. Rodeo Houston will run from March 1-20 2016 on the grounds of NRG Park in Houston.

The daily rodeo competition and concerts will be held in NRG Stadium with other rodeo and livestock show events scheduled for NRG and NRG Center. Performances by country entertainers are scheduled for 20 days, with R&B, classic rock, pop/rock, and Tejano music taking up the remaining seven days. The livestock show and rodeo will be proceeded by World’s Championship Bar-B-Cue Contest on February 25-27, 2016.

In the past, RodeoHouston has presented a great selection of performers which is certain to continue in 2016.

Country favorite Trace Adkins performed in 1997, 1998, 2009, and 2011, in addition to Alabama (1986, 1988-1992, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2012), Kenny Chesney (2001-2005, 2010, 2013) and Tim McGraw (1996-1997, 2003, 2008, 2010-2011, 2013, 2015).

Others who have graced the stage at RodeoHouston include Bruno Mars (2013), Emilio (1990, 1995-1997, 1999, 2007), Chicago (1987, 1989, 1990), KISS (2011) and Gladys Knight (1984, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2009).

In addition to the performances on the rotating stage inside NRG Stadium, rodeo fans who are 21-years-old and over can listen some of the best local and Texas music performers in The Hideout.

The Hideout will be open from March 1-20, 2016 and is located in the big white tent on the west side of NRG Stadium and will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Houston defeats Jacksonville 30-6; wins AFC South

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 3, 2016) The Houston Texans punched their ticket to the NFL Playoffs on Sunday, January 3, 2016 with a 30-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. With the victory, the Texans win the AFC South; their first division title since 2012. Houston head coach Bill O’Brien discussed the Texans’ playoffs with the media in the post-game press conference.

“We got to really take advantage of the momentum that we have.  We got to put extra time in because there’s more to it than this hat. Congratulations on this hat but let’s keep getting some hats.”

The Texans drew blood first on a 29-yard field goal by Nick Novak. The drive lasted 3:30 and cover 47 yards in eight plays. Novak is now 16-of-18 in field goals this season. They added to their lead 46 seconds into the second quarter when quarterback Brian Hoyer connected with running back Jonathan Grimes on a 12-yard pass for the touchdown. The drive covered 79 yards in 10 plays; lasting 4:33. Novak split the uprights for the extra points, his 27^th in 28 attempts this season.

The Jaguars answered at the 10:13 mark in the second quarter with a 43-yard field goal by Jason Myers to make the score 10-3 in favor of the Texans. Houston added 10 points in the final 5:37 of the first half. Grimes again got the call and romped the final three yards of a 42-yard, six play drive for his second touchdown of the game. Novak added the extra point to give the Texans a 17-3 lead. With three seconds remaining in the first half, Novak booted a 51-yard field goal to give Houston a 20-3 advantage with 30 minutes to play.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

After a bit of give and take during the third quarter, Myers added three points to the Jacksonville total as result of a 34-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Texans added an insurance field goal with 3:24 remaining in the game when Novak connected from 51 yards out for the score. They added another touchdown when Kareem Jackson picked off a Blake Bortles pass intended for Allen Robinson with 3:09 remaining in the game. He returned the interception 27 yards for the score. Novak added the extra point to take the score to 30-6.

Hoyer was in good form, coming back from concussion protocol, completing 25-of-40 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown. He discussed the season after the game in the press conference.

“It’s been a crazy year, but we’ve stayed the course. When we could have split apart, we really came together. I was just always staying ready. I never knew when that opportunity would come. It came a few weeks later and eventually, after the Colts game, I was back. It was just one of those things that for me, dealing with that adversity, coming in every day and staying ready, and then having to come in and deal with the injuries and stuff like that, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Billy (O’Brian).”

Alfred Blue carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards while DeAndre Hopkins caught seven passes for 89 yards. Grimes, with his two touchdown passes, caught four passes for 27 yards. Defensively, J.J. Watt accounted for eight tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble.  Brian Cushing tallied six tackles and one forced fumble. Bortles completed 17-of-32 passes for 239 yards and one interception for Jacksonville. Robinson caught five passes for 108 yards while Jonas Gray carried the ball nine times for 23 yards for the Jaguars.

Rice Owls fall to UTEP in hard-fought C-USA game

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (January 1, 2016) The Rice Owls outscored the UTEP Miners 16-10 in the third quarter, but were unable to keep the momentum going and dropped a 60-54 Conference USA game at Tudor Fieldhouse on the campus of Rice University on January 1, 2016. The Owls fell to 0-1 in conference play and 1-11 for the 2015-2016 season. The Miners went to 1-0 in conference and 10-1 for the season.

The Miners jumped out to a 26-21 lead at halftime by shooting 37% and shutting down the Rice offense. The Owls shot 22% with 13 of their points coming from Alyssa Lang, Jasmine Goodwine, and Shani Rainey. In the third quarter, the Owls capitalized on UTEP’s mistakes and took a 37-26 lead by the end of the period. Maya Hawkins went on a seven-point scoring streak as Rice tallied a 9-0 take the lead. However, that would not be enough as the Miners outscored the Owls 24-17 in the final quarter to take the win.

Rice head coach Tina Langley talked about the Owls’ effort in the post-game press conference with the media.

"We took some strides forward today. Obviously we still need to value the ball more and protect it when the game gets physical. We've got to continue to get better at building leads and just keep fighting."

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

Hawkins was 4-of-15 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line to tally her 16 points for the afternoon. Wendy Knight chipped in 11 points while Rainey pulled down eight rebounds. UTEP had three players scoring in double figures; with Starr Breedlove scoring 15, followed by Jenzel Nash with 12 and Sparkle Taylor added 10. Agata Dobrowolska pulled down seven rebounds to lead UTEP.

Next on tap for the Owls is a 2 p.m. CST C-USA game against UTSA, who are 4-7 for the season and 0-1 in conference play.