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Sports

UH falls to 49ers, continues road struggles

Cougars shoot 45 percent from the field; loss takes record down 
to 2-7 away from home

Cougar Sports Services

The road woes continued for UH on Wednesday, as the Charlotte 49ers rushed by the Cougars 91-71 in front of 5,879 at Halton Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

After a slow start that saw Houston fall behind by as much as 10 in the first half, the Cougars recovered to cut the deficit to one point, trailing 33-32 at halftime.

Houston continued to hang with the 49ers in the early stages of the second half, exchanging buckets in a back-and-forth battle that culminated in the Cougars taking a 47-45 lead with 13:44 to go.

But that would be the last lead Houston (14-10, 5-5 Conference USA) would have.

Led by the sharp shooting of guards Brendan Plavich and Leemire Goldwire, Charlotte (16-4, 7-2 C-USA) went on a 17-1 run during the next 6:43 to take a 62-48 lead and never looked back.

Plavich finished with 18 points, all on three pointers, going 6-12 from behind the arc. Goldwire added 12 off the bench.

The 49ers continued to pile it on as the minutes ticked away, outscoring the Cougars 46-24 in the final 13:44.

Forward Eddie Basden finished with 19 points and five steals, making him C-USA's all-time leader in steals with 236. Forward Curtis Withers led all scorers with 21 points as the 49ers shot a scorching 59 percent from the field for the night.

The Cougars didn't shoot too badly themselves, hitting 45 percent of their shots (only the third time this season they've hit at least 45 percent). However, they didn't get the extra possessions they're accustomed to, forcing only 12 turnovers (well below their average of 20) while committing 15 of their own.

Another place Houston came up short was in the production from their gunner, senior guard Andre Owens. He had a night to forget, attempting only five shots resulting in seven points and fouling out in 31 minutes.

Junior guard Chris Lawson led the Cougars in scoring, matching his career-high with 18 points on 6-of-9 from the field. Junior guard Brian Latham added 15 points and sophomore guard Lanny Smith chipped in with 12.

It is the second consecutive road loss for Houston, and it drops them to 2-7 away from Hofheinz Pavilion. The Cougars will try to turn their fortunes around when they travel to Hattiesburg, Miss. to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday.
 

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