Sports

Lady Cougars try to sharpen claws

By Christian Schmidt
The Daily Cougar

Last weekend was supposed to be a turning point for the Lady Cougars. After dropping their consecutive games to Louisville and Cincinnati on Friday and Sunday, Houston hoped to rebound with two wins at home over Charlotte and East Carolina at home.

A loss to Charlotte ended that hope, but a comeback win over East Carolina might give the Lady Cougars the springboard they need to finish the season strong and make a bid for a postseason tournament. The Lady Cougars have made the postseason the past two years.

Houston will face DePaul at 7 p.m. tonight and Marquette at 2 p.m. Sunday. Both games are on the road and will give the Lady Cougars a chance to move into the remainder of the conference schedule on the right foot.

The Lady Cougars (10-7, 2-3 in Conference USA) are tied for eighth place in the 14-team league, though two wins this weekend could move the team as high as third place, depending on the outcome of other games in the conference. Junior guard Chandi Jones leads UH, conference and nation in scoring at 27.4 points per game.

"My goal for the team this weekend is just to win one game," head coach Joe Curl said. "Itis tough to win on the road in this conference."

Of course, Curl wants his team to get two wins this weekend, but that might be a tall task. DePaul (14-6 overall, 3-2 in Conference USA) will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, after road losses to Saint Louis and Memphis. The Lady Blue Demons are 9-0 at home this season.

Sophomore guard Jenni Dant leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game (15.4 in conference games). Freshman forward Khara Smith leads DePaul with 7.9 rebounds per game.

The Lady Cougars will face Marquette (10-7, 2-3) Sunday afternoon. Senior forward Rachel Klug leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game and rebounding at 6.4 boards per game.

 Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu