Tulsa Drops 80-67 Decision at Houston

Saturday, January 8

Houston, Texas

4:00 pm

Tulsa

11-2,1-1AAC

Houston

9-5,2-0AAC

Tulsa

Houston

Tulsa Drops 80-67 Decision at Houston

1/8/2022 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Final Stats in PDF
Season Stats in PDF

Wyvette Mayberry, Delanie Crawford and Maddie Bittle all scored in double figures but it wasn't enough as Tulsa dropped an 80-67 decision to Houston on Saturday afternoon at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas. The Golden Hurricane fell to 11-2 on the season and 1-1 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Cougars moved to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the league.

"Our girls played hard and never stopped fighting," Head Coach Angie Nelp said. "I'm proud of the way we stuck together as a team and we'll continue to grow and learn and keep working hard to improve."

Mayberry had a team-leading 22 points, while Crawford added 14 and Bittle posted 10 points. Bittle had a team-best four steals, Mayberry had three assists, and Rebecca Lescay pulled down seven rebounds, Jessika Evans had six and Crawford had five boards.

Tulsa shot 40-percent from the field, including just 33-percent from behind the arc, and 77-perent from the free throw line, while Houston shot 44-percent from the field, 44-percent from three-point range and were a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line.

Tulsa had an 18-10 lead in points off turnovers and a 12-7 advantage in fast break points, while Houston had a 44-36 lead in points in the paint and an 18-5 advantage in points in the paint.

Tulsa had an 11-5 lead in steals, while Houston outrebounded Tulsa, 49-27, had a 17-10 lead in assists. Both teams had two blocks.

Houston jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the game, but TU battled back and tied the game at 4-4 at the 6:25 mark. UH took the lead once again, but a jumper by Temira Poindexter at the 3:58 mark gave Tulsa a 10-9 lead. The Hurricane climbed to a seven-point advantage, 16-9, with 2:13 to play in the quarter, but the Cougars scored the final five points of the frame as TU maintained a 16-14 lead.

The Golden Hurricane went cold in the second frame, making just 4-of-16 attempts from the field and 1-of-5 from behind the arc, while Houston had a solid 73.7 field goal percentage in the quarter. The Cougars outscored Tulsa, 33-9, in the second quarter and took a 47-25 lead into halftime.

After Tulsa led 16-9 at the 2:13 mark of the first quarter, Houston outscored the Hurricane 38-9 the remainder of the first half.

Houston climbed to a 24-point lead twice, including a 52-28 lead with 6:44 to play in the third quarter, but Tulsa went on a 15-0 run to cut their deficit to just nine, 52-43, with 39-seconds remaining in the frame. A jumper by Britney Onyeje with 15 seconds to play put the Cougars up by 11 with one quarter to play. Tulsa outscored Houston, 18-7, in the third quarter.

The Cougars extended their lead to 19, 68-49, with 6:41 to play in the contest, but a 12-4 run by Tulsa made it an 11-point game (72-61) with 4:23 on the clock. The Golden Hurricane never got closer in the final minutes of the game and dropped the 13-point decision.

Houston was led by Laila Blair with 23 points, while Tiara Young added 14, Britney Onyeje had 13 and Julia Blackshell-Fair had 10.

Tulsa will return to action on Tuesday, January 11 against East Carolina beginning at 6:30 pm at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.