Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Sports

Cougars exact vengeance on Owls

UH comes out jamming as Dowell and Thorpe lead way in victory 
over crosstown rival Rice at Hofheinz

by CHRIS ELLIOTT
The Daily Cougar

The Cougars held on to their lead this time. 

Operation Deny Morris Almond was a relative success. Though the nation's third-leading scorer ended the night with 21 points, the senior guard failed to even get a shot off in the final three minutes of the game. His team's comeback attempt was drowned out by the deafening cheers of the 6,115 fans who witnessed UH's 70-63 vendetta-driven win over Rice, payback for a Jan. 17 loss in which UH blew a 24-point lead.

"We held the lead from start to finish. They made a run and we didn't crack," Penders said. "I though throughout the game the team did an excellent job defensively, particularly Marcus Malone on Morris Almond. I thought he did a fabulous job. You may look at the stat sheet and see that he had 21, but he had to work for every one of them."

Junior guard Malone stayed on the court for 34 minutes and refused to give Almond any space. He said guarding a scorer like Almond is a challenge he looked forward to. 

"He's a tough guy to guard, because he's good at moving without the basketball and he's good at using his teammates to set the screen for him," Malone said. "But I had great help with my teammates as well. They really helped with hedging on the screens.

"I don't really think about offense. Unless it's a wide-open shot, I'm not going to go out of the ordinary or try to rush anything. … Defense to me, I love it. I take it as a challenge. Morris Almond, that's a great challenge to take. I'll take that challenge any day." 

Malone may have only accounted for five of the Cougars' 70 points, but thanks to his supporting cast, his offensive output didn't hurt UH.

Junior guard Robert McKiver scored a team-high 21 points, but was not nearly as effective from the floor (4 for 15) as he was at the free-throw line, where he had a 10-for-14 performance.

Two players who ignite the crowd with high-percentage shots were forwards senior Jahmar "Dunk Master Flex" Thorpe and junior Dion Dowell. Dowell started the party with a bang, catching the ally-oop from McKiver and following it up with a one-handed tomahawk on a fast-break opportunity, getting the Cougars off to a 6-0 run.

Senior guard Oliver Lafayette hit Thorpe with a pass from just inside the half-court line. The Dunk Master caught it behind his head and stuffed it down, sending the crowd into a frenzy as he extended his team's lead to 33-19 with 3:04 left to go in the first half.

Both forwards combined for 29 points and 15 rebounds, and McKiver said it could have been Dowell's best night as a Cougar.

"With Thorpe and Dowell stepping up like that at the end and stepping up like that the whole game, I feel like it's hard for anybody to beat us in the country," McKiver said. "We still got a lot of new guys this year playing together, and we're starting to gel as a team at the right time."

Penders said he was particularly impressed with Dowell's aggressiveness on the offensive end in the first half.

"We've been talking to him every day about going to the basket," Penders said. "Going to the basket even if you miss, if you get your shot blocked keep hammering away. If you get a cheap bucket or two, you get fouled and it loosens up the defense. I'm hoping as we get going in February, we can start posting him up a little bit."

Dowell said he's ready to step his game up for the sake of the team.

"Coach Penders and coach Haralson, they've been challenging me to play hard and just get tougher," Dowell said. "I'm just trying to play hard for my team and trying to play hard on defense. I know I can offer defense every night. That's what I'm trying to do."

With the win, the 11-9 Cougars moved into sole possession of second place in Conference USA, where they now sit at 5-2. Penders, however, said he and his team are still looking at the big picture.

"I look more at the (ratings percentage index)," Penders said. "We still feel like we're playing for a chance at the postseason. We're in the 70s now (in RPI) and we've just got to keep winning. A lot of teams that get in are those that finish strong, and hopefully we can keep winning. I don't want to count out the NCAA Tournament yet."

Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu