Williams returns to form
as Cougars hold off
the Bobcats
By Keenan Singleton
Daily Cougar Staff
After suffering a loss at the hands of
crosstown rival Rice on Tuesday, the Houston Cougars rebounded by defeating
Southwest Texas State, 73-59, before 3,156 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion on
Saturday.
"I'm very pleased winning the home opener,"
head coach Ray McCallum said. "I saw more confidence in our guys tonight.
We kept our turnovers down and did a good job on the statistical things
-- free throws, shooting percentage and holding them to less than 60 points."
Buoyed by strong efforts from guard Bernard
Smith (12 points, three rebounds and four assists) and forward George Williams
(20 points, eight rebounds, four assists), the Cougars were able to put
two solid halves together -- a problem against Rice.
"We showed we could play two halves of
good basketball," Williams said. "The team was more comfortable playing
in front of the home crowd."
Senior guard/forward
Chad Hendrick, left, and junior guard Bernard Smith, right, battle for
a rebound during the Cougars' 73-59 win over the Southwest Texas State
Bobcats on Saturday.
Christy Varghese/
The Daily Cougar
Both Smith and Williams came out firing
in the first half.
"Coach told me I wasn't being aggressive
enough with my shot," Smith said. "I think I was too worried about passing
the ball and trying to hit the open man. He told me to look for my shot
more and I think that will come with everyone getting used to the system."
Smith hit his first four shots to start
the contest and Williams drained five-of-seven for 14 points.
"Bernard really proved himself tonight,"
McCallum said. "He did a very good job of attacking the basket and only
had one turnover tonight."
McCallum was pleased to have Williams back
after a left calf muscle injury kept him out of action against Air Force
and Mt. St. Mary's and reduced his contributions against the Owls.
"George missed 10 practices due to his
injury and it was good to see him back to form tonight," McCallum added.
"He did a nice job of distributing the ball."
Down 57-46 with 7:39 remaining on the clock,
the Bobcats went on a 9-2 run that cut UH's once sizable lead to just four
with a little more than five-and-a-half minutes left in the game.
McCallum then called a 20-second timeout
to emphasize what his teams do best -- defense.
UH went on to surrender only four more
points to the Bobcats.
"It all starts with defense," McCallum
said. "We made a nice run and made some key adjustments to close the game
out."
The Cougar front-line of Williams, center
Alton Ford and power forward Patrick Okafor combined for 38 points and
25 rebounds, but the "big GAP," George, Alton and Patrick, are still getting
accustomed to the limited space on the floor.
"There's not enough room in the paint for
the three of us," Williams said. "I just need to get more comfortable on
the perimeter and let them stay down low."
The Cougars will next welcome the Southeastern
Conference defending champ Louisiana State Tigers at 7 p.m. Tuesday at
Hofheinz Pavilion.
