Jan. 7, 2010

NEW ORLEANS - Fresh off its most lopsided win of the season, the Tulane University women's basketball team will open the Conference USA portion of its schedule on Friday, Jan. 8, when they play host to Houston at 7 p.m. in Fogelman Arena.

The Green Wave posted an 11-2 non-league record, including an 81-45 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Monday night in Hammond, La. The Tulane team has won nine games in a row dating back to the start of December, but the squad realizes that the start of conference play marks the start of a whole new season.

"We're 0-0 in conference," Tulane head women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton said. "The only thing (being 11-2) means is what we've taken out of it as a team. Have we gotten better? How do we handle different situations? We've had (lopsided) wins and we've also had those two-point games earlier in the season. I think all of those are going to help us as we go forward."

As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 72.2 points, 35.6 rebounds, 18.4 assists, 12.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game. Senior guard Chassity Brown leads the team in scoring with a 14.8 point-per-game average while sophomore center Brett Benzio and freshman guard Olivia Grayson follow with respective averages of 9.5 and 9.0. Benzio leads the team in rebounds, averaging 7.9 per game, while junior guard Roshaunda Barnes paces the Wave with 4.2 assists and 3.2 steals a night.

Tulane is hitting 45.2 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 339-of-750 attempts, including 79-of-206 from beyond the 3-point arc (.383). The Green Wave defense has held opponents to a 37.2 shooting percentage (268-of-721) and a 29.0 clip from 3-point land (51-of-176). Tulane opponents are averaging 57.2 points, 37.9 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 8.2 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.

Houston, meanwhile, comes to town 6-7 on the year and looking to snap a four-game losing streak, including a 66-61 loss to TCU on Dec. 31 in Hofheinz Pavilion.

As a team, the Cougars are averaging 69.1 points, 41.5 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game. Brittney Scott leads the team with 17.1 points per game while Courtney Taylor is close behind with a 13.2 average. Lesslee Mason leads Houston in rebounding, averaging 9.6 per game, while Porsche Landry paces the squad with 55 assists and 20 steals.

Houston is hitting 38.9 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 328-of-844 attempts, including a 70-of-212 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.330). The Cougar's defense has held opponents to a 38.6 shooting percentage (323-of-836) and a 28.5 clip from 3-point land (53-of-186). Houston's opponents are averaging 66.5 points, 46.6 rebounds, 11/9 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.5 blocks per game.

Friday's game marks the 26th time that Tulane and Houston will meet on the hardwood and the Green Wave hold a 17-8 advantage in the all-time series. Under Stockton, Tulane is 16-7 against the Houston, including a 7-3 mark in Fogelman Arena. The Cougars, however, swept the Green Wave last season, winning 58-56 on Jan. 9, 2009 in Fogelman Arena before earning a 60-53 decision on Feb. 12, 2009 in Houston.

Following Friday's C-USA opener, the Green Wave return to action on Sunday, Jan. 10, when they take on Rice at 1 p.m. in Fogelman Arena. The game against the Owls was originally slated for a 2 p.m. tip, but was moved up one hour after the game was picked up by Comcast Sports South and CBS College Sports Network.

For ticket information to this weekend's games, as well as any future Green Wave event, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.

TAKE A KID TO A GAME: The Tulane Department of Athletics will celebrate "Take A Kid To A Game" all weekend as fans can get a free youth ticket with the purchase of any adult ticket.

PACK THE HOUSE: Sunday's Conference USA women's basketball game between Tulane and Rice will be the Green Wave's "Pack The House Game". While the cameras roll on the Green Wave's game against the Owls, all fans can purchase tickets for $1. In addition, all faculty, staff and their families are admitted free with a valid Tulane ID.

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