Late in the second half, the Houston Cougars missed seven straight field goals en route to a loss against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Tulsa ends Cougars' six-game winning streak in Houston loss
Jan 12, 2020, 6:00 am
Late in the second half, the Houston Cougars missed seven straight field goals en route to a loss against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Freshman guard Marcus Sasser missed a potential game-winning 3-point field goal, as the University of Houston Men's Basketball team (12-4, 1-1) dropped a heartbreaking 63-61 loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-6, 2-1), Saturday afternoon, inside the Donald W Reynolds Center in Tulsa, OK. With the loss, the Cougars' six-game winning streak came to an end, as Houston dropped their first game in conference play.
With 4:43 left in the second half, the Cougars held a 60-54 lead before going cold at the worst possible time. In addition to turning the ball over three times, Houston missed seven straight shot attempts as the Golden Hurricane took advantage of the Cougars' mishaps.
Tulsa closed the game on a 9-1 run ignited by a two-hand slam from junior guard, Darien Jackson, who led the Golden Hurricane with a career-best 19 points (7-13 FG, 3-7 3PT) and three steals in the win.
Final score presented by @thejointchiro @calebmills_3 | 22 pts @LaDeeky | 16 pts @thatup_coming11 | 11 rebs NEXT… https://t.co/0LcqdnhsgX— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾) 1578783943.0
In the first half, Tulsa jumped out to a 5-0 lead and lead 13-8 before the Cougars tied the score at 13 points a piece. After taking a 16-15 lead midway through the first half, Houston went into the halftime break up 37-34 over the Golden Hurricane.
Following a career performance in the win against Temple, freshman guard Caleb Mills registered 22 points for the Cougars. Junior guard DeJon Jarreau added in 16 points, while Sasser tallied 14 in the loss.
Up next, the Cougars will return home for a Texas showdown against their in-state rival, the SMU Mustangs, Wednesday night, inside the Fertitta Center in Houston. Tip-off is slated for 8 P.M. CT.
The Houston Astros return to Daikin Park on Friday night looking to end a three-game home losing streak as they open a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.
Ronel Blanco takes the mound for Houston, aiming to bounce back after a rough start to his season. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 9.45 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP through his first two outings. He’ll be opposed by Angels rookie Jack Kochanowicz, who has impressed early with a 3.27 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and eight strikeouts.
The Astros enter the night at 5-7, sitting third in the AL West and still searching for offensive consistency. Despite the team’s slow start, Jose Altuve has been a bright spot, hitting .333 with three homers in his last 10 games. Yordan Alvarez, though still looking for his power stroke to fully emerge, has contributed eight RBI.
Houston will need a stronger showing at the plate to keep pace with a hot Angels squad that has won seven of its last 10. Los Angeles ranks fourth in MLB in slugging (Houston is dead last) and is led by Kyren Paris and Logan O’Hoppe, who have combined for 10 home runs over the last 10 games. The Angels have gone 6-3 on the road and are currently second in the AL West.
This is the first meeting of the season between the division rivals. The Astros are 2-1 this year when scoring five or more runs but have struggled in lower-scoring games. Meanwhile, the Angels have outscored their opponents by 15 runs over their last 10 contests.
Here's a look at the Astros lineup for Game 1:
Screenshot via: MLB.com
Shaking things up
Brendan Rodgers is hitless in his last eight at-bats, so Joe Espada is hoping Mauricio Dubon can give the offense a spark as he's hitting ninth and playing second base.
First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. EDT.
The Astros projected starters for the series:
Friday-Blanco
Saturday-Ryan Gusto
Sunday-Hayden Wesneski
*ChatGPT assisted.
_____________________________________________
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!