Feb. 7, 2008

Box Score

Game Book in PDF Format

HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team used a 14-3 run late in the second half to earn its eighth-straight victory, beating Tulsa 63-49, Friday in Conference USA action on Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Houston (14-9, 8-1 C-USA) is one game away from tying the 2003-04 teams' school-record nine-game league winning streak. That year's team also holds the school record for most consecutive games won at 13.

Tulsa (9-13, 5-4 C-USA) turned the ball over 23 times and shot 31.7 percent from the field (19-for-60) and 30.8 percent from behind the line (4-for-13).

Houston pulled ahead by five early in the second half only to see the Golden Hurricane answer, bringing the margin back to one twice, but never taking the lead.

Leading 41-40 with 10:08 left, the Cougars went on a 14-3 run that spanned just under five minutes and was bookended by a three-pointer and layup coming from Twiggy McIntyre (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa HS/Kansas State).

Alona Obaze (Dallas, Texas/Bryan Adams HS/Trinity Valley CC) played a key role off the bench during the run, finding an open McIntyre for an assist and hitting a wide-open three as the shot clock ran down.

The Cougars' defense took over from there, holding Tulsa to three field goals in the final eight minutes. A jumper by Brittany Mason (LaPorte, Texas/LaPorte HS) at the buzzer sealed the 14-point victory.

Houston held Tulsa to nine field goals and 24 points in the second half. The Cougars tallied 26 points in the paint and scored 22 points off the Golden Hurricane's 23 turnovers.

McIntyre finished with a game-high 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half. She hit four three pointers and was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Courtney Taylor (Crockett, Texas/Crockett HS) and Cobilyn Hill (Houston, Texas/Eisenhower HS) both finished with nine points. Taylor grabbed nine rebounds and two steals while Hill had five boards and four blocked shots.

Tye Jackson (Houston, Texas/Westfield HS/Purdue) dished out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds. Ryan Meyers (Arlington, Texas/Arlington HS/Grayson County CC) came off the bench to score eight.

Tulsa was led by Larrissa Williams' double-double. The sophomore had 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Chanel Johnson also found double figures, scoring 11 and grabbing eight boards.

The Cougars held a 28-25 lead at halftime in an opening 20 minutes that had its ups and downs. UH shot 37.9 percent, but was only 2-for-10 from behind the arc with 12 turnovers.

Houston scored 16 of its 28 points in the paint and tallied 16 points off of 15 Tulsa turnovers.

Houston closes out the weekend against SMU at 2 p.m. CST Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Cougars will celebrate both Think Pink Day and National Girls and Women in Sports Day against the Mustangs.

The WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.

NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player - and former Houston volleyball player - Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports. Hyman died of Marfan's Syndrome in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. Since that time, NGWSD has evolved into a day to acknowledge the past and recognize current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.

Fans can listen to a free internet radio broadcast of all UH games this year by clicking on the Stretch Internet Broadcast link at UHCougars.com. Streaming video for all home games will also be made available through the All-Access package at UHCougars.com.