Sports

Cougars wipe out against Wave

By Emily Davis
The Daily Cougar

During a three-game winning streak that vaulted UH into a tie for first place in the Conference USA National Division, the Cougars counted on their dynamic duo of Louis Truscott, the league leader in double-doubles, and Andre Owens, among the conferenceis top 10 scorers.

Kevin Harwerth/The Daily Cougar

Tulane must have been paying attention.The Green Wave clamped down on Truscott and Owens in Hofheinz Pavilion on Tuesday night, holding them to a combined 12 points in a 65-58 win that dealt the Cougars a devastating blow to their league title hopes.

"(Truscott) and (Owens) have to be huge each game," said UH head coach Ray McCallum, whose team slipped to 4-3 in C-USA and 6-12 overall. "Average just spells defeat for us each time."

And average they were. With senior Jarett Sidney having the team high of 11 points and only Truscott seeing double-digit rebounding (10), the Cougars took Tulane for granted and it cost them -- not only a C-USA win, but necessary confidence at a critical point in the season.

"Itis just an overall disappointment," McCallum said. "And with the teams that we have left to play, itis just going to make (the remainder of the season) even more of a challenge."

While the Green Wave (10-10, 3-4 in C-USA) outscored UH Tuesday night, the teams were identical on rebounds -- both grabbing 11 offensive and 20 defensive boards.

Senior Jeremee McGuire led the night with seven rebounds and was able to make plays in the process, including an offensive board and put-back with 12:21 left in the first half to get the Cougars within one, 12-11.

"Defense and rebounds were keys in tonightis game," Tulane head coach Shawn Finney said. "Neither team let the other get a (scoring) spurt."

But one Cougar rose above the tough Green Wave defense and came up big for UH. Freshman Cederick Hensley had 10 points Tuesday night, including a three-pointer with 25 seconds left in the game to get the Cougars within five at 63-58 and give his team its final points of the night.

"(Hensley) looks much more comfortable on the floor," McCallum said. "Our young guys keep getting better."

As if the Cougars werenit frustrated enough from all the missed shots, their 20 turnovers were enough to put them over the edge, including one critical error that resulted in a Tulane four-point play with 6:25 left, putting the Green Wave up 54-46.

"This loss is from our careless mistakes and too many turnovers," Sidney said. "We had a lot of unforced errors."

With three seniors hoping to end their collegiate careers with a bang, the Cougars need every opportunity to hold on to their top position in the league.

"We feel the hurt and pain of this defeat," McCallum said. "But we have to get the wins to keep in the tournament running."

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