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Sports

Cougars given chance to shine

Penders calls for a packed Hofheinz against St. Louis as UH goes for a winning record

by CHRIS ELLIOTT
The Daily Cougar

St. Louis holds the key. As a result of its 77-61 win over Marshall, UH extended its winning streak to three games and improved its record to 9-9 and 4-2 in Conference USA. Theoretically, sitting at .500 with 12 games to go in the regular season the Cougars have given themselves an opportunity to pave a new, more secure foundation that could eventually lead to an NCAA Tournament appearance. St. Louis, however, still holds the key.

On Nov. 25, 2006 the Cougars went into St. Louis riding a three game win streak to start the season. The Billikens (5-1) held Houston to a 33.8 percent shooting night from the field and held out for the win as Robert "Fluff" McKiver missed the last-second shot to tie the game. UH then went on to lose seven of nine subsequent games, and head coach Tom Penders said he knows how imperative a win on Monday night is for his team.

"We've got to worry about St. Louis. Even though it's not a league game it's a game that's very important to us," Penders said. "We've clawed our way back to .500 now, if we can get this win, we'll really have some serious momentum going into Rice."

Houston's 7 p.m. game Monday against the Billikens at Hofheinz Pavilion will not count towards conference play, in which the Cougars are one of four teams tied behind Memphis for second place with 4-2 records, but Penders said the game and the week is important, and fan support, particularly when it comes to the student section, will be monumental to his team's success. 

"This is obviously an important week," Penders said. "We're back at .500. We've got a streak going. It's going to be a week that's critical for us. We're going to need to turn Hofheinz into a home court again."

The Cougars only draw in an average of 4,035 fans per game. 

"(Fan support) is as important as any key player being healthy and maybe even more than that," Penders said. "Our students provide that hostile environment. You can't expect rabid noise and support from the adult season ticket holders all the time. It's got to come from the students. Everywhere we go that's what we face."

In order to reach .500 for the season, Houston went into Huntington W.Va. and dominated Marshall from the start, pressing and trapping full court, forcing 13 of its 17 turnovers in the first half and jumping out to a quick double-digit lead.

Senior guard Oliver Lafayette also showcased part of his offensive game, and Penders said he and the other coaches could get used to it. Lafayette used his mid-range game to put up 13 of his 16 points and helped UH mount a 44-26 half-time lead over the Thundering Herd. He was ineffective offensively in the second half due to foul trouble, but the Cougars maintained their double-digit lead.

"I know, and coach Melvin Haralson knows, how much we've worked with him on that," Penders said. "Getting into that lane, staying low and coming to a jump stop. Well he did it tonight. He effectively broke down their defense. Oliver breaking down the defense, particularly in the first half was huge."

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