Four players score in double figures in big win

Dec. 10, 2011

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Houston 83, Houston Baptist 60

	1	2	F
Houston Baptist	32	28	60
Houston	54	29	83

Quick Stats	UH	HBU
Points	83	60
Rebounds	43	28
Assists	19	13
Turnovers	13	21
Field Goals	35	22
Free Throws	6	11
Three Point Field Goals	7	5
Fouls	14	10

Statistical Leaders
Houston	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Amanda Lawson	24	9	4
Roxana Button	22	4	4
Terran Alford	14	8	1
Houston Baptist	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Shanice Steenholdt	30	11	0
Maisie Elston	9	4	7
Tayler Jefferson	8	2	2

HOUSTON - Amanda Lawson and Roxana Button combined for 46 points to guide the University of Houston women's basketball team to an 83-60 rout of Houston Baptist Saturday afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Cougars, who picked up their first victory of the season, relied on an offensive outburst in the opening half to build a 22-point lead at the break. Houston shot a blazing 56 percent from the field and drained five of seven shots from 3-point range for 54 first-half points, surpassing the season average in the opening 20 minutes.

The contest got off to a frenetic pace, with the opening 32 points scored in just over five minutes. Houston Baptist shot out to a 12-7 lead at the 17:22 mark on 5-of-5 shooting before Lawson evened the contest at 12-12 with a 3-point play.

With Houston holding a 19-18 advantage with 12:58 remaining in the first half, Lawson took over, converting six of Houston's seven field goals over a five-minute stretch to push the Cougars to a 32-20 lead.

Button followed with a layup and freshman forward Terran Alford knocked down a jumper to cap a 17-3 Houston run in just over six minutes for a 36-21 Cougar advantage.

With Houston still holding a 15-point lead with 5:20 left to play in the opening half, the Huskies heated up, draining back-to-back 3-pointers to close the margin to just nine points with 3:26 remaining.

HBU wouldn't score again in the opening half, however, as the Cougars rode a 16-0 wave into the break.

Button snapped the skid quickly with a layup and followed the next time down the floor with a bucket from long range.

Lawson followed with two scores with under a minute to play before Michelle White drained her second 3-pointer of the half at the buzzer to send the Cougars to the break with a 54-32 lead.

Lawson, a freshman from Bryan, Texas, just missed a double-double with career highs of 24 points and nine rebounds. Lawson, who went 9-of-11 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, finished the contest with 11 field goals while also handing out four assists.

Button turned in another steady performance, posting 22 points, four assists and two steals in 39 minutes of action. The senior guard from Coppell, Texas, enjoyed a hot-shooting afternoon, going 8-of-15 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.

Alford also notched a career high on Saturday with 14 points to go with eight rebounds, while White scored in double figures for the first time in her career with 10 first-half points.

Sophomore center Mae Woods recorded her second-straight productive outing, posting nine points and a season-high six rebounds in 28 minutes.

HBU's Shanice Steenholdt led the Huskies with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while Maisie Elston tallied nine points and seven assists.

The Cougars dominated the glass by a 43-28 margin, including a 20-4 advantage on offensive rebounds resulting in 17 second-chance points.

Houston forced 21 HBU turnovers while swiping 11 steals compared to just 13 Cougar miscues.

UP NEXT
The Cougars will get more than a week off before closing out non-conference play on the road with contests at Washington (Dec. 18) and New Mexico (Jan. 2). Houston opens Conference USA play against Marshall on Jan. 5.