Memphis victory not a
total loss for UH
By Jake McKim
Daily Cougar Staff
Sometimes in long, seemingly fruitless
seasons, moral victories can be just as important as bona fide wins.
The Cougar men's basketball team will take
anything it can get at this point.
In front of a crowd well in excess of 17,000
at the Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn., the Cougars hung tough and almost pulled
out a victory Saturday against a quickly improving Memphis team that is
now first place in Conference USA's National Division. After a slow start,
John Calipari's Tigers are now 10-8 in the regular season and 4-1 in the
conference.
Junior transfer guard Dominic
Smith, right, is scoring high for the Cougars, including 20 points in a
close loss against Memphis on Saturday.
Kusum Desai/
The Daily Cougar
Houston junior guard Dominic Smith was
the floor leader once again, scoring 20 points and causing problems for
the Tigers' defense. The Cougars' George Williams also contributed 11 points
and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes, while Marcus Oliver threw in 12 points.
A surprising 41-34 UH halftime lead was
erased by Memphis' top-notch trio of Kelly Wise (15 points), Scooter McFadgon
(14 points), and Marcus Moody (12 points), who stifled the Cougars in the
second half.
After falling behind 66-56, the Cougars
went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to three. UH junior guard Torrence
Botts nailed a three-pointer to make the score 68-66 after a Memphis bucket.
However, Memphis guard Shyrone Chatman then hit four straight free throws,
sending the deflated Cougars home with another loss. The final score read
72-68 and dropped the Cougars to 4-12 overall, 1-3 in conference play.
The Memphis game certainly did not help
the Cougars in the standings, but if nothing else, UH players can hold
their heads high knowing they very nearly beat a solid team on its home
floor.
