Men's Basketball to Meet Iowa State, Massachusetts during Three-Day Stretch
Dec. 26, 2008
GAME 9
The Cougars come into this weekend's game after a 71-63 win at Toledo on Dec. 13. In that game, junior guard Aubrey Coleman recorded 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds with seven steals for the first double-double of his career. For his impressive effort, he was honored earlier this week as the Conference USA Rookie of the Week, the second time this season that he snared the league's weekly award. Senior center Marcus Cousin added 17 points and 11 rebounds for his team-leading third double-double of the season. Junior guard Kelvin Lewis led all players with 19 points against the Rockets but saw his streak of games with at least 20 points snapped at four. This season, Lewis tops all Cougars with 18.9 points per game to rank among the league's top-10 leaders. Coleman (16.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Cousin (14.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg) rank among C-USA's top-13 leaders in both categories, making them one of only five players to accomplish that feat. Sunday's game will be the first of two games for the Cougars on this homestand. On Tuesday, the Cougars play host to Massachusetts at 1 p.m. inside Hofheinz Pavilion. Fans should note that the starting time for that game recently was moved up from earlier published schedules to accommodate fans wishing to see the Cougar Football team face Air Force in Fort Worth at 11 a.m., Wednesday, during the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. In addition, Sunday's game will be part of a doubleheader with the Cougar Women's Basketball team, which plays host to Akron at 2 p.m.
Since that first meeting, the Cougars have reeled off three straight wins, including an 87-72 victory on Nov. 30,1990, during the Tournament of Champions in Charlotte, N.C., in the most recent game. That was the biggest win by the Cougars in the series. The Cougars are 1-0 against the Cyclones in Houston. In the only other meeting, UH enjoyed an 83-82 win on Jan. 10, 1990.
This season, sophomore guard Craig Brackins leads the team with 17.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Diante Garrett ranks second among the Cyclones with 10.5 points per game, while senior guard Bryan Petersen has grabbed 4.7 rebounds per contest. Head coach Greg McDermott is in his third season at Iowa State. Sunday's game will be the first time that he has faced Houston.
In addition, Maggard said that the Cougars' game against UMass would be part of Fan Appreciation Day with FREE admission to all fans. Seating will be available in all areas in which season-ticket holders have not purchased tickets. No ticket is required to attend the UMass game. UMass has posted a 4-6 record this season as of Dec. 23 but enjoyed a 61-60 upset at No. 25/23 Kansas on Dec. 13. The Minutemen were scheduled to play host to IUPUI on Saturday before traveling to Houston.
For only $2, students of Houston-area ISDs can receive one ticket to either of those games. Students must present a valid ISD ID on game day for the discount. Tickets also are available in advance at the UH Athletics Tickets Office.
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