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No bull: UH gets first road win

Senior center Ferguson leads the way with defensive presence and unexpected offensive contribution

By Jay Gandy
The Daily Cougar

The Cougars played a complete game on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball en route to a 65-53 win over South Florida on Saturday, earning their first road win of the season.

Junior guard Andre Owens drove the lane for a reverse lay-up that put the Cougars ahead 2-0 on their second possession and from that point they didn't look back.

They didn't look back. The Cougars scored the first eight points of the game and led 28-18 at halftime.

Senior center Anwar Ferguson had four blocks in the first half and kept South Florida from driving to the basket. Forced to shoot from the outside, the Bulls managed only 21 percent from the field in the first half. Ferguson and Owens (15 points each) led the way offensively for the Cougars.

"We can't ever quit," Ferguson said. "We have to keep at it no matter what. We've been down, we just need to stick with it and it will happen for us."

After tallying eight blocks in back to back games earlier this season, Ferguson had cooled off recently. But apparently the Bulls were the red cape Ferguson needed to awake from his slumber.

"I thought (Ferguson) did a great job of setting the tone defensively in the first half," Houston head coach Ray McCallum said. "He made free throws, had some good finishes and got involved, and that's big for us."

The Cougars finished the game shooting 48 percent from the field, going 11-23 from the field in each half, while holding the Bulls to 29 percent. They also managed to take care of the ball, turning it over only 11 times compared to 22 in their last game against Louisville.

Junior forward Terrence Leather led the Bulls with 22 points and 18 rebounds, doing most of his damage from the free-throw line, where he was 13-19. For the Cougars, Lanny Smith added 12 points and five assists, and Andy Ikeakor grabbed eight rebounds in his second start of the year.

The Cougars now return home for a game against Southern Miss on Tuesday before hosting the top 10-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday. McCallum knows the dangers of looking past an easier opponent.

"I know Cincinnati lost, but we've got to take it one at a time," McCallum said. "We've got another quick turnaround to learn from this ballgame and prepare for Southern Miss."

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