UH has lost five of its last six and has dropped to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play. | Esteban Portillo
It was a combination of turnovers and a lot of missed opportunities that plagued the Cougars on Thursday.
They allowed a late 11-0 run, leading to a 59-55 defeat against Tulsa. The Cougars turned it over five times in the final eight minutes, allowing Tulsa to take advantage.
“I have to take better care of the ball. I shouldn’t have had that many turnovers tonight”, said redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry. “We have to make our easy layups and convert on our free throws down the stretch.”
With UH down 53-56, freshman guard Alecia Smith was unable to convert on a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game with 10 seconds remaining. UH has lost five of its last six and has dropped to 10-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play. Landry led all scorers with 23 points to go along with her 9 rebounds, making her just shy of tallying up her second consecutive career double-double.
The Cougars played well before the break though.
After Tulsa took a 22-17 lead, Landry and freshman forward Marche’ Amerson would hit three 3-pointers combined, including Landry’s with just 6.5 seconds left in the half, captivating an 11-4 run to take a 28-26 lead into halftime.
The Cougars converted on five 3-pointers in the first half.
After Tulsa knocked down a pair of free throws to go up 38-37, the Cougars sparked an 8-0 run when Landry snatched an offensive rebound in traffic, then kicked it out to junior forward Marissa Ashton who drained a 3-pointer to give the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 45-40 with 8:18 left in the game.
The Cougar’s bench turned from frenzy to an utter silence as Tulsa concluded a furious 16-4 run when sophomore guard Kaden Brady knocked in her second 3-pointer to give her team a 56-49 lead with 3:17 remaining.
“We didn’t get stops on defense and they executed by hitting a couple threes,” Landry said. “We have to learn how to stay up when we’re up.”
The Cougars shot 46 percent (6-13) from the free throw line, now ranking dead last in Conference USA with an overall 63 percent for the season.
Head coach Todd Buchanan said his team got comfortable after they had a 45-40 lead.
“I think we got a little satisfied. I don’t know why, but I felt like we played nervous, passive, and tight down the stretch. We went through a time there where it felt like an eternity before we scored,” Buchanan said.
The Cougar’s route ahead of them doesn’t get any easier, as their next three opponents post a combined record of 54-15.
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