Hi 71 / Lo 59
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Hi 71 / Lo 59 |
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Volume 69, Issue 96,
Monday, February 23, 2004
Sports
UH still in hunt for tourney By Jay Gandy
The Cougars let a double digit lead slip away Saturday night, but thanks to clutch shooting from freshman Lanny Smith, they led when it mattered -- at the end. Houston trailed 52-50 with 1:05 left in
the game when Smith buried a three-pointer in front of the Cougar bench,
getting the rest of the players out of their seats.
Freshman point guard Lanny Smith played beyond his years Saturday against South Florida, scoring 15 points and leading the Cougars in the closing minutes of the game. Nathan Lindstrom/The Daily Cougar South Florida tried to answer, but senior center Andy Ikeakor stole a pass intended for USF's Terrence Leather. The Bulls had one final opportunity after a Houston shot-clock violation, but senior center Anwar Ferguson made sure they didn't convert, securing the win with a blocked shot on a USF jumper. Smith led UH in scoring with 15 points, despite slight tendinitis in both knees which bothered him slightly throughout the game. For UH head coach Ray McCallum, Smith's defense and intensity were the keys to the game. "The steals, the deflections, the energy, the job defensively on (Brian) Swift," McCallum said. "Lanny took a lot of pride in wanting to challenge him all night long, and that was huge." Throughout this season, McCallum has stressed one key to victory -- winning the turnover battle. In Saturday's contest, the Cougars turned the ball over only six times, while forcing 17 from USF. "I told the guys one more turnover probably would have cost us the game," McCallum said. "The margin is that narrow and they're so important. Our ability to take care of the basketball was the key tonight". The win keeps the Cougars in a tie for the 12th and final Conference USA Tournament spot, after East Carolina beat TCU on Saturday. Houston holds the tiebreaker over ECU by virtue of a head-to-head win earlier this season. Tulane is just a half game ahead at 3-9, but the Green Wave has a midweek home game against Alabama-Birmingham, which is No. 2 in C-USA. "This game could have knocked us out of the conference tournament race," McCallum said. "Now we're tied with East Carolina and Tulane with the wins, so this was an important win." The Bulls' Leather had his second huge game of the season, finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds. UH sophomore forward Aaron Anderson played Leather tight on defense, but fouls limited Anderson's playing time and Leather took advantage while Anderson was on the bench. USF's Gerrick Morris also recorded a double-double, but his was a little more unusual. Morris also pulled down 14 rebounds and tied a UH opponent record with 10 blocked shots. Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu |
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