Fort Worth Cats pitcher
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University of Houston Cougar's Get it Done on Both Ends of the Court in Win

HOUSTON --- The University of Houston Cougars used a well rounded effort to cruise past Grambling State 88-42 Saturday evening at Hofheinz Pavilion before a crowd of 3,777.

The Coogs were solid on defense and they used an up tempo offense to get out to an early lead and build a huge lead as they dominated Grambling State in their second game of the season.


















Even with the solid defensive effort early, U of H Head Coach James Dickey was not pleased about the Coogs letting up late in the first half. "We held them to 10 points for the first 16 minutes, and then in the last four minutes we gave up 12 points. That was a combination of not playing hard and fouling too much," said Dickey.

The Coogs shot 50% from the field while holding Grambling to just 25.5% shooting. Their defensive effort paid off in a big way as they force 27 turnovers by the Tigers. The U of H offense not only shot the ball well, they took great care of the basketball by committing just seven turnovers. "We were a lot more active defensively for extended periods of time. There was a lot more talk and communication. We played with an energy and a passion defensively," explained Dickey.




















Grambling State was led in scroing by Raschard Boatner with 15 points. Steven Danridge chipped in with 10 points and pulled down a game high nine rebounds.
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The Coogs (1-0) got off to a red hot start as they hit their first five field goal attempts. Darian Thibodeaux, Joseph Young and Jonathon Simmons helped get U of H off to the fast start by hitting three pointers. Their quick start shooting to ball, some good ball movement, and some solid rebounding, all contributed to the Coogs taking a 13-0 lead over the first 2:30 of the game.

Grambling (0-1) found the going tough against the Coogs defense as they struggled from the field and found themselves with just eight points over the first 15 minutes of the game and trailed 39-8. The Coogs kept their offense in high gear as they maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way to roll on to the convincing win.
Dickey is still finding out just what he has when it comes to his roster and one thing he discovered is that TaShawn Thomas can be a contributor in all aspects of the game. Thomas made his collegiate debut in fine fashion by scoring 13 points, dishing out five assists, snagging eight rebounds, blocking three shots and picking up three steals. Dickey was well pleased with the effort of Thomas and praised the forwards play. "When you have a stat line like that, for a freshman, you did pretty well. We've worked on his free throws. He knows what he needs to do," said Dickey.

Redshirt freshman guard Joseph Young led the Coogs in scoring with his 18 points. He rounded out his night with a game-high seven assists and two steals. Teammate Alandise Harris was 7-of-10 from the field to finish with 14 points.