Sports

Cougars burned by the Blazers

By Emily Davis
The Daily Cougar

Andre Owens' wristband bore the theme of Saturday's game -- "only the strong survive." Unfortunately for the UH sophomore and his teammates, the words carefully scribbled in permanent marker applied to the visiting team.

In front of a raucous crowd of 3,690 at Hofheinz Pavilion, the Cougars lost their seventh consecutive game, a 63-50 decision to the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers in UH's Conference USA opening game.

"This is just a disappointing loss," said head coach Ray McCallum, whose team fell to 2-10 on the season. "We wanted and needed a victory."

UH came out hot in the first half, with senior Louis Truscott grabbing one of his 18 rebounds and adding four points in a six-point run that gave the Cougars a 16-12 lead with 12:03 left to play.

The 6-6 forward leads C-USA in double-doubles this season, recording his eighth Saturday night with 14 points to go along with his 18 boards.

"(Truscott) attacked the glass and played tough," McCallum said. "That's what we always expect out of him."

But as quickly as UH earned the lead, a three-pointer by UAB's Morris Finley at 3:58 gave the Blazers a 24-22 advantage it would never relinquish.

The Blazers utilized a full-court press that quickly wore down the struggling Cougar offense and forced 21 UH turnovers.

"Our young guards had trouble recognizing what to do with the press," McCallum said. "They have not been through the press wars like the older players have, despite our efforts to prepare them in practice."

Truscott said he believes fear of making mistakes played a role in the loss.

"I think our team was hesitant because they did not want me to turn over the ball, and they didn't want to turn it over, either," said Truscott, who had a team-leading five of the Cougars' 15 turnovers against Louisiana-Lafayette last week.

UAB head coach Mike Anderson said his team focused on changing up the full-court press in order to wear down its opponent.

"We moved from zone to man to man to pressure defense. I'd say we did our job well," he said.

Still, the Cougars did not go down without a fight. Senior forward Jeremee McGuire, who had seven points and 14 rebounds slammed home a crowd-pleasing jam to bring UH within three with 12:28 left to play in the second half.

"I had a talk with former UH player Michael Young and he told me the only way we had a chance to win was with rebounds," McGuire said. "So I took it on myself to assist (Truscott) on the boards."

Sophomore Bryan Shelton chipped in nine points, connecting on three 3-pointers, and adding two assists.

Owens also sparkled as he gave the Cougars 12 points, six rebounds and two assists and went 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

But it wasn't enough to catch the Blazers (10-3, 2-0) and wily guard Eric Bush, who had six steals on the night, including a fast-break snatch from McGuire to put UAB at 48-41 and finish off a seven-point Blazer run.

The Cougars have a week off before their next game, a C-USA battle against Saint Louis at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

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