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Sports

Sea of red expected; ironically so is revenge

UH takes on Rice at 7 p.m. tonight at Hofheinz

by BEN GEGENHEIMER
The Daily Cougar

The men's basketball team looks to strike up another winning streak tonight as they face cross-town rival Rice in the final regular season home game at Hofheinz.

The Cougars, who had won eight straight games prior to last Saturday's 69-63 loss to UTEP, will get their second shot at the Owls this season after losing to Rice by a score of 71-62 at Autry Court on Jan. 11.

"Rice is a team that is not easy to prepare for," head coach Tom Penders said. "I think they have some excellent players. It starts with a great point guard in Lorenzo Williams; Morris Almond without question is the best offensive player in our league."

Junior guard Almond is the leading scorer in the conference, averaging 21.1 points per game. His scoring average against C-USA competition is 24.5 points per contest in C-USA games.

Williams is the only Rice player to start all 25 games this season for the Owls, who are 11-14 with a 5-7 record in conference play. The 6-1 junior has dished out 157 assists this season, tying him for the conference lead with UAB guard Carldell Johnson.

Rice may have the top scorer in C-USA with Almond, but the Cougars have junior guard Oliver Lafayette, who ranks third in the conference in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game.

UH junior Lanny Smith feels that tonight's game is crucial if the Cougars want to reach the NCAA Tournament or NIT Tournament.

"The importance of this game extends beyond just the cross-town rivalry," Smith said. "Our goals are to try to make it to the next level as far as the post-season is concerned and this game is very important for us to get there."

Prior to the game, the Cougars will honor five senior members of this season's team in a special ceremony. Guards Brian Latham and Chris Lawson, forwards Ramon Dyer and Darrius Brannon and center Sergio de Randamie will play their last regular season game at Hofheinz Pavillion. Fans are asked to wear red shirts in honor of "Red Sea Day."

"There are all kinds of emotions going on anytime it's senior night," Penders said. "We have five seniors on this ball club that will be playing their last game at Hofheinz, so it's a very big game and a very important game."
 

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