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Sports

Cougars open up a can on Tulsa

Defense led to a fast start and an even stronger finish 
in UH's 73-46 victory at Hofheinz

by CHRIS ELLIOTT
The Daily Cougar 

While Nate Robinson and Andre Iguodala dazzled the crowd at the Toyota Center, the Cougars gave the 5,206 fans that came to Hoffheinz Pavilion their own show. 

Houston beat the living day lights out of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane with a final score of 73-46. This would be their first 20 point victory in 18 games.

"We're trying to establish (consistency)," senior forward Ramon Dyer said. "Lately we've been letting leads slide. Coach has been telling us about having a killer instinct, and tonight we had it."

Houston would play a first half reminiscent of their 68-46 blow-out of Sam Houston State back in December, a game where they had a 34-18 lead. The Cougars ended the first half of Saturday's game with a commanding 38-14 lead, after opening the game on a 23-1 run, spanning 11:10. This would be the result of forcing 10 turnovers and showing the ability to convert them into fast break points. Déjà vu.

This would be a half in which Dyer would provide four steals and 18 points, and would eventually retire for the night with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Senior guard Brian Latham, who has been the man at point lately, had the best all-around game. Latham finished the game, four points and one rebound short of a double-double. UH's defensive sensei seemed to find ways to tip passes and clog lanes all night leading to multiple fast break opportunities and a hold on the lead.

"This is the best defensive team, I've ever had," Penders said. "Lately our trend has been … to get down and claw our way back. So it was nice to get off to a good start. To me, it was 90 percent defense that got us going. It got us some easy buckets, and we pretty much took them out of their offensive sets."

The Cougars next face the Texas-El Paso Miners on Saturday, giving UH its longest resting period since mid- anuary, and some players hope the team can keep its mojo.

"I think it would be better if we were able to keep playing, because we don't want to lose our swagger and all that," Dyer said. 

Junior forward Jamar "Dunk Master Flex" Thorpe contributed 14 points, four rebounds and two dunks to Houston's win. "He feels his team's demeanor has had much to do with their current success, and he hopes it will carry them deep into the NCAA tournament." Flex said.

"We're basically taking it one game at a time. We're taking every game seriously. A lot of teams are sleeping on us, because (we) got upset earlier in the season. But now we're focused. The team's coming together. Everything's working. And every body believes, so we got to keep playing." 
 

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