Feb. 27, 2008

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HOUSTON - The University of Houston women's basketball team faces a crucial Conference USA game against East Carolina, Thursday at 7 p.m. CST on Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion.

With two games to play, Houston (14-14, 8-6 C-USA) is in fourth place in the league, one game behind UAB for the No. 3 spot and one game ahead of East Carolina and Southern Miss who are tied for the fourth slot.

A win against the Pirates (13-14, 7-7 C-USA) secures a first-round bye for Houston in the 2008 C-USA Women's Basketball Championship, set to be held March 6-9 at the New UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla. The Cougars already hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Southern Miss. UH also controls the tiebreaker over UAB should the two teams finish tied in the final conference standings.

Live audio, All-Access Video and GameTracker for all games is available at www.UHCougars.com.

STORYLINES

• Houston (14-14, 8-6 C-USA) enters on a five-game losing streak, but can lock up a first-round bye in the 2008 C-USA Women's Basketball Championship with a win over East Carolina (13-14, 7-7 C-USA) Thursday.
• The Pirates, 0-6 all-time against the Cougars, lost to Memphis 61-59 on Feb. 23, but have won three of the past four games.
• The Cougars have been outscored 378-206 in their past five games.
• The Cougars' 14 wins are the most since the 2004-05 season.
• UH's six road victories this season have already surpassed the team's road-win total (4) of the previous two seasons.
• Houston has never finished a season below .500 when recording six or more road wins.
• UH is 12-3 when holding its opponents under 70 points.
• Twiggy McIntyre (15.3 ppg), Tye Jackson (10.6) and Courtney Taylor (10.0) lead UH.
• McIntyre ranks fourth in C-USA in scoring and leads the league in three-pointers made per game (2.32). She earned C-USA POTW honors on Jan. 7 and Jan. 21.
• Jackson has averaged 6.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game in C-USA games. She was named C-USA POTW on Feb. 4 after averaging nearly a triple-double against Memphis and UAB.
• Jackson tallied the fourth triple-double in Conference USA and Cougar history with 11 points, a career-best 16 rebounds and 12 assists in an 80-76 overtime win at UAB.
• Taylor has averaged almost a double-double in C-USA play (10.9/9.9).
• Houston head coach Joe Curl, who suffered a heart attack on Oct. 27, has been cleared to return to recruiting duties. No timetable has been set for his return to coaching.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008
Tipoff: 7 p.m. (CST)
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479)
Series: Houston leads 6-0
Television: None
Streaming: All-Access Broadcast at UHCougars.com. Click HERE to watch.
Live Stats: Click HERE
Radio: Houston ISP Sports Network online broadcast powered by Stretch Internet. Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Louis Ray (analyst). Click HERE to listen.
Tickets: Can be purchased through the UH Athletics Ticket Office by calling 713-GO-COOGS or by clicking HERE.