Saturday, December 20, 2014

U.Houston Men's Hoops Falls to South Carolina State

HOUSTON, Texas -- University of Houston sophomore forward Danrad Knowles scored a career-high 22 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Cougars, but it would not be enough as South Carolina State claimed a 71-63 win on Saturday afternoon in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic Regional Round inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

Knowles enjoyed the first double-double of his collegiate career. The Nassau, Bahamas, native connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc, and snared 11 offensive rebounds.

With his performance, Knowles became the fourth different Cougar to post a double-double in 2014-15. He joined teammates Devonta PollardCavon Baker and LeRon Barnes.

The Cougars (5-3) fell behind early and played catch-up for most of the game. Trailing 32-27 at the half, the Cougars continued to threaten and used a 10-3 rally early in the second half to take a 43-41 lead on a Knowles' 3-pointer.

However, South Carolina State took advantage of a 15-4 run over the next 8:27 to build a 56-47 advantage. Houston could move no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Although the Cougars committed a season-low five turnovers in the game, South Carolina State outrebounded Houston 50-35 and connected on 47.2 percent from the field while limiting the Cougars to only 31.3 percent.

Guard Edward Stephens led four Bulldogs in double digits with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while guard Jalen White added 17 points with four rebounds. Forward Darryl Palmer posted 10 points with 13 rebounds, five assists and eight blocked shots, and forward Tashombe Riley finished with 10 points and five assists in the win.

In addition to Knowles, junior point guard L.J. Rose posted 14 points with two rebounds and three assists, while junior guardJherrod Stiggers totaled 12 points with three rebounds and a pair of steals.


UP NEXT
Houston opens the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic Championship Round play at 9:30 p.m. (CST) Monday against Boise State inside Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Cougars then meet the winner/loser of Texas Tech-Loyola (Ill.) on Tuesday evening in the final game before Christmas.


COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

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