Second Half Surge By Houston Drops Lady Bulldogs in Season Opener on Friday Night
November 14, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Boiling Springs, N .C. - With a little over two minutes to go in the first half of play, the Lady Bulldogs trailed the Houston Cougars by three points at 34-31 and would go into the halftime intermission down three at 37-34. Yet a second half surge by the Houston Cougars allowed the visiting team to pull away late from the Lady Bulldogs, picking up the 86-64 win.
Gardner-Webb had four players in double-figures for the game, yet
went cold in the second half hitting only 9-of-28 attempts in the
final 20 minutes of play.
The start looked good for the Lady Bulldog as GWU took a 4-2 lead
on a jumper by junior Dominique Hudson with 18:08 to go in the
first half.
Houston answered with an 8-2 run to take a six point lead at 10-4
and did not look back, refusing to relinquish the lead for the
remainder of the contest.
Yet the feisty Lady Bulldogs refused to go away, getting to as
close as three points on five separate occasions in the opening
frame.
Gardner-Webb looked ready to take the lead at any point during the
first 20 minutes, yet the hot shooting Cougars always had an
answer, as the visitors hit 16-of-33 shot attempts in the opening
frame to take the 37-34 lead at the halftime break.
In the second half the Lady Bulldogs struggled to make field goals,
as Houston ran used a 12-6 over the first six minutes to pull out
to its first double-digit lead at 50-40.
With the shots not falling, the Lady Bulldogs continued to press
the issue on offense, committing 11 turnovers and while giving the
Cougars plenty of freebies, sending Houston to the line 30 times in
the final 20 minutes of play.
Dominque Hudson led the Lady Bulldogs with 16 points, while
Houston, Texas native Courtney Epps added 15 points of her own.
Senior forward Margaret Roundtree added 14 points in 34 minutes of
action, while Monique Hudson came off the bench to pour in 12
points, including going 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Houston's Brittney Scott led all scorers with a game-high 27
points, as the guard was 4-of-8 from long range and 11-of-12 from
the free throw line. Also scoring in double-figures for the
Cougars was forward Courtney Taylor, who had a double-double with
12 points and 16 rebounds, and Roxana Button with 11 points.
Gardner-Webb will remain at home for its next contest, as the Lady
Bulldogs will host Winston-Salem State at 6 p.m. on Monday night,
November 16th, in Paul Porter Arena.
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| Box Score: Houston 86, Gardner-Webb 64 |
