Coogs play hard but lose to Texas A&M

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars played their best basketball of the young 2013-2014 season; but, poor shooting hurt the Cougars as they lost to 16th-ranked Texas A&M 63-51 Sunday afternoon inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

“This is the best game we've played to date," Todd Buchanan, Cougars' head coach said after the game. "It may not show that statistically, but from a poise standpoint, from an understanding the game plan standpoint and from an execution standpoint, this was the best game of the three. We had opportunities to keep attacking in transition, and we really didn't do that as much.”

The Cougars (0-3) got off to a great start and led the Aggies (3-0) 9 to 5 four minutes into the ball game. Sophomore Marche' Amerson scored four of the Coogs' nine points. Houston made 4 of 8 field goals for the points.

Unfortunately for the Cougars, they went ice, ice cold the rest of the first half. The Cougars made 5 of their last 20 field goals to end the opening 20 minutes.

The Aggies scored eight straight points to lead 13-9 before Houston forward Destini Texada split two free throws to end the scoreless drought. After Texada missed the second foul shot, the Aggies scored eight consecutive points once again to increase the lead to 21-10 with 8:09 until halftime.

The game seemed ripe for a blowout; but, the Cougars bounced back and their zone defense disrupted the Aggies' offense. The Cougars outscored the Aggies 12-6 in the final eight minutes of the half.

Houston sophomore Jessieka Palmer swished a three-point shot to beat the halftime buzzer; and, surprisingly, despiting shooting 9 for 28 from the floor, the Cougars trailed by only four points (27-23) at halftime.

The Cougars trailed by as many as 11 points six times the first seven minutes of the second half; but, sophomore guard Alecia Smith started a 9-1 run with a three-point basket; and, lo and behold, the Cougars trailed 45-42 with 9:44 remaining in the ball game.

Marche' Amerson had an opportunity to cut the Cougars' deficit to just one point; but, Amerson missed two free throws; and, the Aggies capitalized on the missed opportunity.

Aggies' guard, Courtney Walker, took over the game over the next six minutes. Walker scored nine points on four field goals to give the Aggies a 58-46 lead with only 3:48 remaining.

When Curtyce Knox drained a three-point shot from the baseline which boosted the lead to 61-46, the Cougars didn't have enough time to nor ammunition left to respond.

Houston shot just 30.2% (19 for 63) from the field and just 9 for 17 from the foul line. The Aggies didn't shoot much better; but, they did make 27 of 68 field goal attempts (39.7%).

Walker scored a game-high 19 points for the Aggies. Teammate Achiri Ade added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Williams also pulled down 11 boards.

Amerson scored a team-high 12 points for Houston. Point guard Demetria Foreman chipped in 10 points.

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