Friday, Dec. 11-Saturday, Dec. 12
Highlights
Houston 61, Stephen F. Austin 59
The University of Houston Women's Basketball team recorded their first win against Stephen F. Austin (5-2, 0-0 Southland) since 1990 with a 61-59 nail-biting win at the Fertitta Center on Friday evening.
Houston (3-1, 0-0 American) had two players in double digits led by Miya Crump with 16 points and Tatyana Hill with 10 points and 15 rebounds, earning her first double-double of the season. UH continues to guard the three-point line, holding SFA to 13.3 percent from long-range.
The Cougars cleaned the offensive glass, securing 15 offensive boards to SFA's eight. Houston held the advantage in second chance points, outsourcing the LadyJacks 13-5.
Two LadyJacks were in double figures led by Aiyana Johnson with 17 points.
Houston got off to a strong defensive start in the opening quarter forcing seven turnovers while Crump led the way in scoring with 10 points. Dymond Gladney anchored the Cougars on defense with two steals in the first quarter, as the squad closed out the frame with a two-point edge.
Despite momentum shifting in the LadyJacks favor, Houston still dominated the boards. Bria Patterson and Hill led the squad in rebounds on both ends. The duo combined for eight second quarter rebounds as UH outrebounded SFA 12-8. Although struggling offensively, the Cougars were able to maintain a two-point lead going into the half after three successful trips to the charity stripe.
Houston opened up the second half with a big block from Patterson. With the defensive momentum still in the Cougars favor, the LadyJacks did not score their first bucket in the third frame until the 5:01 mark.
As time winded down, the Cougars were successful in key possessions on both ends of the floor. Redshirt senior Eryka Sidney hit a key three-pointer to extend the Cougars lead with less than 30 seconds left in the game. In the final possession of the game, Hill secured a steal preventing the LadyJacks from a chance to tie and send the game into overtime.
Memphis 69, McNeese State 48
Memphis forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds as the Tigers rolled to a 69-48 win over McNeese State Saturday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. It was the senior's third consecutive double-double of the season. The Tigers have now won two straight games to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Memphis raced out to a 32-9 lead, including an 8-0 run to end the first half, and held on to it for the duration of the game.
"At the end of the game, I can't say that we were overjoyed with how we played," said Memphis head coach Melissa McFerrin. "We wanted to dominate a little bit more than we did. At the end of the game, I feel like we got a little lackadaisical. We lost focus, we lost some of our fundamentals and I think the team would tell you that too."
Fankam Mendjiadeu was one of four Tigers to score in the double-digits against McNeese. Others included Lanetta Williams (13), Jatyjia 'Tye' Jones (11) and Alana Davis (10). It was a career-high for Williams, who came off the bench. She also added five blocks, the most on the team.
"I try to take advantage of the opportunities that I'm given whether it's offensive or defensive," said Williams. "I try to do everything that I can to help our team."
Other Tigers who had the opportunity to see more time on the court were freshman guard Coriah Beck who saw 27 minutes of action off the bench and contributed a career-high seven points. Forward Callie Wright checked in for 10 minutes and contributed a career-high five points.
"Coriah continues to impress me because she's going to be a player that really gives an honest effort on defense," said McFerrin. "I think that any time you're a young player, that's where it has to start. Her conditioning is still lacking from the month that she was out of practice, but as she gets that back her minutes will continue to get stretched out."
Central Michigan 79, Cincinnati 62
IImar'I Thomas continued her torrid scoring pace to start the season, but the University of Cincinnati women's basketball team couldn't overcome a scoring lull and fell on the road to Central Michigan, 79-62, on Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Arena.
Thomas who tied for the game high with 25 points, on an 11-for-16 shooting day, has scored 23 or more in each of the Bearcats first four games, going for 34 against Northern Kentucky, 23 at Florida and 32 vs. Marquette.
Central Michigan (2-1) took control of the game over the second and third quarters, outscoring UC 35-23 and holding the Bearcats to a 10-of-33 shooting effort (.303) during that span.
Overall, UC finished 25-of-65 (.385) from the field, but only 6-of-9 (.667) from the charity stripe. CMU made one less field goal (24-of-56) but finished 18-of-22 (.818) from the free-throw line.
Cincinnati (1-3) and the Chippewas were knotted at 27-27 after the first quarter with the Bearcats mounting an 18-7 run over the final five minutes of the frame after trailing 20-9 with 5:17 left.