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Sports

UH falls in Blue Jays' trap

Lady Cougars see their third loss of the year; Hawkins leads team in scoring with 23 points

Cougar Sports Staff

The Lady Cougars had another hard night with a 76-59 loss to the Creighton Blue Jays (1-2) on Wednesday at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb. This is the second consecutive loss for the Lady Cougars, taking them to an overall record of 1-3 on the season.

Freshman guard Sha'Ratta Hawkins brought her A-game for the third consecutive time this season with a game-high 23 points, 19 of which came in the second half, along with a career-best six steals. She also registered a total of five rebounds and three turnovers in 33 minutes.

In this game, much like the last, UH was plagued by poor shooting, finishing only 28.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the arc. 

The Lady Cougars can always be counted on for defense, even when hindered by poor shooting. UH forced 25 Creighton turnovers and scored 28 points from its opponent's mistakes. UH combined for 14 steals.

But that was not enough for the Lady Cougars, who had an early lead in the game but were down 27 points at the half. The hole they dug themselves into just seemed to get deeper and deeper.

In the second half, the Lady Cougars went down by 33 points with 6:45 left in the game after the Blue Jays' guard Angie Janis, who scored 20 points, hit a field goal to increase Creighton's lead to 73-40. 

But that field goal was the last of the game for the Blue Jays. Because of the UH defense, Creighton got its last three points from free throws. 

The Lady Cougars were able to make a decent run at a comeback shooting 31 percent from the field and 27 percent behind the three-point line in the second half.

Sophomore forward Kadi Creel finished the night with her season high 12 points, and sophomore forward Ryan Meyers added 10 points and a team high eight rebounds.

The Lady Cougars will come to the last stop of their four-game road trip Friday in their first tournament of the season. UH will be playing the Saint Joseph's Hawks in the first round of the weekend-long Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic tournament in Manhattan, Kan.

To defeat Saint Joseph's, the Lady Cougars will need to keep an eye on senior forward Faith Schutte, who scored Wednesday a career-high 17 points in a 72-48 win against Seton Hall. Also boxing out freshman center Hillary Klimowiez, who had nine points and 12 rebounds in the win, will be key for the Lady Cougars' advancement in the tournament.

During Saturday's round, the Lady Cougars will meet up with either Kansas State (4-0) or Texas Pan American (1-4). The times for the games have not been announced.

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