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Sports

Houston regains focus against Tigers

Obaze leads the charge with game-high 24 points

by JONG LEE
The Daily Cougar

It was raining three-pointers at Hofheinz Pavilion on Thursday night.

Houston fired away at will from behind the arc against Memphis, hitting 10-of-18 three-point shots in an 86-73 victory that snapped a six-game losing streak. 

Junior guard Alona Obaze led the onslaught with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting (6-of-10 from behind the arc). Junior forward Whitney James (21 points, 10 rebounds) and junior guard Tye Jackson (22 points, 11 assists) each recorded double-doubles.

All three players had their way with a Memphis defense that was content to give up the outside shot. 

"(Memphis) stayed in zone defense (in the first half), and that opened up the outside," Obaze said. "You dump (the ball) in and dump it back out, and the shot is open. You have got to shoot them out of the zone."

The Cougars (8-17, 5-10 Conference USA) started the game on a 6-0 run, hitting three of their first five shots and forcing two quick turnovers. Memphis (4-25, 1-14 C-USA) denied Houston the post game, but the Cougars took advantage by knocking down open jumpers.

The Cougars shot 49 percent in the first half but also had seven turnovers in that period. That combination left the team heading into the locker room with a slim 41-35 lead. 

"I thought we played solid on offense (in the first half), but we had too many turnovers. Four of them, I think, were avoidable, and we just threw them away," UH head coach Joe Curl said. "We played pretty sound basketball offensively, but we gave up some easy baskets in transition, and that was the difference in the first half for (the game) being so close. I thought we could've had a bigger lead, (but) that's basketball."

The Cougars will finish their regular season against Alabama-Birmingham at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion before heading to Tulsa, Okla., to compete in the C-USA Tournament, which begins Thursday.

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