HOUSTON — Sophomore Daisha Simmons had 22 points, and junior Shafontaye Myers added another 19 to lead the University of Alabama women’s basketball team to an 83-74 victory against the University of Houston on Tuesday at Hofheinz Pavilion.
The win moves Alabama to 2-0, while Houston falls to 0-2.
“I thought from the beginning we played awfully hard tonight,” Alabama coach Wendell Hudson said. “We knew coming on the road and playing against a good team like this was going to be tough, but I am pleased with the way we responded. I am really proud of the team’s effort tonight.”
Junior Jasmine Robinson added 13 points, and sophomore Kaneisha Horn had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Meghan Perkins had a game-high three assists, while Myers had a career-best six steals.
Alabama used an 18-7 run to take a 10-point lead with a little more than four minutes to play in the first half, and led 39-33 at halftime.
Simmons hit a 3-pointer and added a second shot from beyond the arc minutes later to put Alabama in front by 10. Houston cut the deficit to four at the 8-minute, 32-second mark, but a four-point play from Myers on the ensuing play pushed the edge back out to eight. The Cougars would come no closer than six the rest of the way.
Alabama will play host to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff t 5 p.m. Saturday at Foster Auditorium.
n Men’s basketball team off to New York City for championship round of 2K Sports Classic: At New York, the men’s basketball team will square off against Oregon State at 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2) in the championship round of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. The event benefits the Wounded Warrior Project.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to go to New York and play in Madison Square Garden in a great tournament,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “We had two games here at home and now we get to advance to New York. We’re playing a very tough opponent in Oregon State. I had a chance to start looking at them and I’m really impressed with their team. They return, I think, seven of their top eight which is the majority of their scoring, rebounds and assists, so we’re looking at a veteran, very well coached team. The process for us is to get prepared for the challenge that lies ahead.”
Alabama and Oregon State are 2-0. Alabama defeated South Dakota State University (60-57) and the University of West Alabama (80-49) in the Tuscaloosa Regional, while Oregon State defeated Niagara University (102-83) and New Mexico State University (71-62) in the Corvallis Regional.
Purdue (1-1) and Villanova (2-0) will take the floor immediately after the Alabama-Oregon State matchup. The losers of those games will play at 4 p.m. Friday in the consolation game on ESPNU. The winners will compete for the title in primetime Friday night on ESPN2.
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