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Feb. 3 Women's Basketball Round-Up
Senior Tye Jackson nets first-career triple-double; Houston runs streak to seven while UTEP remains undefeated at 8-0.

	Tye Jackson becomes only the third triple-double performer in UH history and just the fourth in C-USA history.

Feb. 3, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - - The University of Houston women's basketball team got a triple-double from Tye Jackson (Houston, Texas/Westfield HS/Purdue) on the way to an 80-76 overtime win over UAB Sunday in Conference USA action at Bartow Arena.

Houston (13-9, 7-1 C-USA) won its seventh-straight game and fourth-straight league road game while taking sole possession of second place in the league standings. UAB (10-11, 6-2 C-USA) had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Jackson finished with 11 points, and set career highs with 16 rebounds and 12 assists. She didn't break double figures until late in the overtime period as she struggled to a 1-for-16 shooting night.

It is only the third triple-double in UH history and just the fourth in C-USA history. The last UH player to tally a triple-double was Stacy Johnson against Ball State on Dec. 29, 1994. The other two players to net the honor were Arlene Brown (02/27/90) and Michelle Harris (12/04/93).

Courtney Taylor (Crockett, Texas/Crockett HS) scored five of UH's 10 points in the overtime and finished with her seventh double-double of the season scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Cobilyn Hill (Houston, Texas/Eisenhower HS) put together another strong game inside, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

FEBRUARY
Sunday, 3
Houston def. UAB, 80-76 OT
Memphis def. Rice, 62-56

Saturday, 2
East Carolina def. UCF, 80-66
UTEP def. Tulsa, 58-44
SMU def. Tulane, 81-69
Southern Miss def. Marshall, 77-51

Friday, 1
Houston def. Memphis, 70-54
UAB def Rice, 76-64

All C-USA games.

Houston had an 11-point lead erased in the second half due the play of UAB's Diamond Rogers and Britney Jones. The duo combined for 52 of the Blazers' 76 points. Rogers hit a career-high 29 and Jones dropped in 23. Rogers added nine boards. Jones hit a three-pointer with six seconds left in regulation that sent the game to overtime.

The Cougars held a 35-25 halftime advantage after firing at a 41.9 percent clip (13-for-31) in the opening 20 minutes. Hill tallied 11 in the half and McIntyre added nine after draining three triples. Jackson added six assists.

Diamond Rogers and Britney Jones combined for 21 of UAB's 25 points in the half. Jones scored the team's first 10 points and finished with 12 in the opening stanza while Rogers chipped in nine.

Houston returns home for a pair of games against Tulsa and SMU. The Cougars and Golden Hurricane square off Thursday at 7 p.m. CST while the Mustangs and UH face off at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Cougars will celebrate both Think Pink Day and National Girls and Women in Sports Day Saturday.

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.

UTEP 58, TULSA 44
Timika Williams leads UTEP with 20 points.
EL PASO, Texas - Led by Timika Williams' 20-point, seven-rebound effort, the UTEP women's basketball team steamed to its 13th straight victory with a 58-44 dismantling of Tulsa at the Donald W. Reynolds Center Saturday afternoon.

The Miners move to 17-2 on the year, including a perfect 8-0 in Conference USA play, while the Golden Hurricane fall to 9-12 and 5-3, respectively. Additionally, the Orange and Blue are now 7-2 on the road (5-0 away from home in league play).

On a day in which UTEP struggled at times to knock down shots, the Miners' defense carried them to the victory. The Orange and Blue held Tulsa to a dismal 28.6 percent from the floor, including a frigid figure of 22 after the break.

Also factoring in was the Miners' pressure defense, which forced TU into committing 24 turnovers. UTEP converted those giveaways into 25 points. Jareica Hughes and Natasha Lacy played a large role in that, combing for 10 steals. Hughes finished with seven thefts to establish a career high and equal the third-highest single-game total in program history.

On the heels of a 26-turnover performance at SMU on Thursday, the Miners were much more efficient offensively against Tulsa with only 10 giveaways. UTEP was unselfish as well, compiling 13 assists.

Tulsa actually led early in the contest at 5-2 and 6-5, but the Miners quickly took control. UTEP vaulted ahead with a 7-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. Tulsa trimmed the advantage to two (13-11) with 13:26 in the opening period, but UTEP pushed it out to five thanks to a triple by Lacy.

The two teams traded baskets the next several minutes before UTEP closed the half strong, allowing it to hold an eight-point edge (30-22) at the break.

The Miners put things on cruise control in the second half, quickly extending their advantage to double digits. UTEP took its largest advantage of the tilt (17) with 3:38 left in the game on a jumper by Williams.

Tulsa deployed a full-court press in the waning minutes in an effort to rally, but the effort was far too little too late.

SOUTHERN MISS 77, MARSHALL 51
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Pauline Love tied a season-high point total with 24, while three other Southern Miss players scored in double figures as the Lady Eagles defeated Marshall 77-51 here Saturday night in a Conference USA women's basketball game at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Lady Eagles (12-9 overall, 3-5 C-USA) won for the second time in the last three games, as they scored over 70 points for the third-straight game.

"We handled their pressure very well tonight," said Southern Miss coach Joye Lee-McNelis, who team committed just 13 points. "It was a great team effort for us."

Love reached the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season, tying her career mark that she initially set against Sam Houston State (Nov. 9) in the season opener.

Joining Love in double figures for the Lady Eagles was Stephanie Helgeson with 17 points, along with 12 from Amber Eugene and 10 from Kendra Reed. Andrea Barber added nine assists for the home squad.

The Lady Eagles shot over 60 percent for the second time this season as they converted 27-of-44 shots on the floor for 61.4 percent and made 76 percent of their free throws (19-of-25).

"We shared the ball very well," McNelis added. "I hope this is jump start for us."

After allowing the opening basket to MU, the Lady Eagles scored the next seven points and ended a six-minute spurt on a 16-3 run to push open a double-digit advantage.

The Thundering Herd cut the deficit to under 10 points four times and got as close as 21-14 with 8:22 remaining in the opening period, but Reed hit one of her game-high three 3-pointers and the lead never got under double figures for the remainder of the game.

After taking a 42-23 lead at intermission, Southern Miss led by as many as 31 points over the final 20 minutes to notch their ninth home victory of the campaign.

Alyssa Hammond led the Thundering Herd (12-10, 4-4) with 17 points, while Kizzy Hart added 11.

Southern Miss returns to action next Thursday (Feb. 7) when they entertain Memphis in a 7 p.m., contest at Green Coliseum.

EAST CAROLINA 80, UCF 66
Young led all scorers with 22 points
ORLANDO, Fla. - East Carolina held off a feisty UCF, defeating the Knights 80-66 for their fourth straight win. East Carolina improves to 10-11, 4-4 in Conference USA, while the Knights fall to 8-13, 1-7 in league play.

East Carolina took a four-point, 38-34, lead into the half as LaCoya Terry scored on a put back with time expiring. After the Knights went up 7-2 early, five straight points by Gabriela Husarova sparked a 14-0 run by the Lady Pirates, taking the 16-7 lead with 12:5 to play. The Knights battled back, cutting the ECU lead down to three, 26-23 with 6:23 remaining.

UCF used a 7-2 run to open the second half to retake the lead, 41-40, with 17:46 to play. The Lady Pirates responded, scoring seven unanswered points to go back on top, 47-41. Three Lauren Cochran layups and a Jasmine Young basket put ECU up nine, 57-48, with 10:53 to play. UCF answered, going on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 57-all with 8:31 on the clock.

Husarova's three-pointer with 8:15 put the Lady Pirates up 60-57, a lead they would not give up. Young led all scorers with 22 points, connecting on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Terry added 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Husarova pitched in 13 points and six boards. The Lady Pirates hit eight three's on the night and grabbed 50 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates return home on Thursday, Feb. 7 as they host Tulane in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. ECU will then head to El Paso, Texas for a nationally televised contest against UTEP on Sunday, Feb. 10.. The 2:00 p.m. tip-off will be aired live on ESPN2.

MEMPHIS 62, RICE 56
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis (6-15, 3-5 C-USA) only led a little over six minutes of the game against Rice (8-14, 1-7 C-USA) on Sunday afternoon, but it was the six minutes that mattered in a 62-56 win at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

"I thought this was a total team effort in this win," Head Coach Blair Savage-Lansden said. "You have to give our players credit. Tonight they did the little things that mattered, like getting on the floor for loose balls and boxing out, even if they weren't able to get the rebound. When we have games where everyone does the little things, even if their shot is not falling, we put ourselves in a position to win."

Memphis actually trailed at the break, 25-24. Both teams worked the ball inside in the early minutes of the game, with the first 14 points of the outing coming as the teams traded lay-ups. Rice senior Katie Riverin almost willed the Owls to the first half lead on her own, scoring 12 of the team's 25 points. But it was Memphis freshman Savannah Ellis who tried to spark a Memphis charge off the bench, as Ellis posted up for her first two points, then stuck back an offensive rebound on the next Memphis trip down the floor to pull within one at 19-18. But Riverin would have an answer, hitting two free-throws, then getting out in transition for a lay-up to push the Owls back in front. Memphis' lone senior, Aroha Jennings, then got in to the act, hitting a pair of free-throws and then a jumper with her foot on the three-point line to knot the game again at 22-22. Memphis forced a turnover on the next trip down the floor, and LaToya Bullard, who missed the Houston game due to the flu, converted a lay-up of her own, giving Memphis its first lead since the early seconds of the game.

But the lead would be short-lived as forward Tiffany Loggins stepped in off the Rice bench and knocked down a wide-open look for three from the top of the key, giving Rice its halftime cushion.

Rice then opened the second half with two quick buckets before Savage substituted three players into the Memphis line-up to not only generate some offense, but to slow down Riverin, who had just run down the court for another lay-up. But the early minutes of the second half looked like the late minutes of the first half, as Memphis could cut the deficit to two and three points, but could never take the lead. With Rice up 35-30, Paris Leonard got loose for a lay-up, and when Aroha Jennings hit her only three of the night, she had tied the ball game up at 35-35, the fifth tie of the game.

But again, Rice would get a jumper from Riverin to move back in front and build a small, five-point cushion at 44-39 with 8:01 to play. But Jessica Hall had apparently seen enough. Hall drove the lane from the left wing hitting the bucket-and-one and starting a run that saw her score seven straight points. Her third straight bucket with 6:02 remaining gave Memphis a 46-44 lead, its first since the 18:03 mark in the first half. Loggins tried to answer back with another jumper from the wing, but Ashley Thornton rebounded the ball and found Paris Leonard, who drove three-quarters of the court for the lay-up and a 48-44 lead. The next offensive for series for Memphis could have sealed Rice's fate. Ashley Thornton rebounded a Paris Leonard missed free-throw and then rebounded a Jessica Hall missed three-point field goal, drawing a foul with Rice in the bonus situation. Thornton stepped to the line and hit both free-throws, pushing Memphis ahead 50-44.

Rice came down and knocked down two free-throws on an Alex Winchell intentional foul and got off another jumper as the intentional foul gave the Owls possession of the ball after Riverin's two made free-throws. But the jumper was rebounded by Thornton, who corralled four of her 10 rebounds in the two-minute stretch.

But Rice kept digging, cutting the deficit to 52-49 with 3:51 to play before Jessica Jackson drained a shot from just inside the three-point line with the shot clock winding down. Again Riverin had an answer, hitting a jumper in the lane. But on Memphis' trip down the floor, Paris Leonard got the ball at the top of the key for Memphis and saw a wide-open Jessica Hall setting up at the three-point line. Memphis was 1-for-11 from three-point range at the time, and Hall was 0-for-4, but she connected without drawing any iron from the wing for a 57-51 Memphis lead that eventually became a 62-56 Lady Tiger victory.

Hall finished with 18 points and five rebounds, while Jennings scored 15 points, including an 8-for-8 mark from the free-throw line, in 23 minutes. Ashley Thornton led Memphis with 10 rebounds, adding six points. Eight different Lady Tigers posted five or more rebounds, as Memphis outworked Rice on the glass 52-42, including 18 offensive rebounds.

Riverin finished with 20 points and five rebounds, while Maudess Fulton added 10 points and nine rebounds. Tiffany Loggins came off the bench to score 15 points, including three treys, adding six rebounds in 30 minutes of play.

Memphis will not have much time to recover from the win, as the Lady Tigers will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss, Thursday, to open a three-game road swing. Rice will return home and will host SMU, Thursday.

SMU 81, TULANE 69
Senior Janielle Dodds records 25 points, 11 rebounds pace Ponies.
DALLAS, Texas - Senior center Janielle Dodds notched her fifth double-double of the year, with 25 points and 11 rebounds, to lead the SMU Mustangs to an 81-69 victory over visiting Tulane Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.

The double-double also was the 35th in Dodds career, far and away the most of any Conference USA player (UAB's Diamond Rogers is second with 14). Three other Mustangs joined Dodds in scoring in double digits: sophomore forward Delisha Wills scored 13 points, senior forward Sharee Shepherd added 12 and senior guard Katy Cobb chipped in with 11.

Dodds also closed to within 100 points of Karlin Kennedy's career scoring record. Dodds now has 1,687 career points; Kennedy finished her career at SMU with a school-record 1,785 points.

The Mustangs now head south for a pair of games in Houston: SMU faces Rice (at Houston Baptist University) at 7 p.m. Thursday night, and takes on the University of Houston at 2 p.m. Saturday. Both games can be heard on KKGM (1630). The Houston game will be tape-delayed, with tipoff at about 5:30 p.m.