HOUSTON – With just six available players, the University of Houston Women’s Basketball team kept it close but fell 79-64 against BYU inside the Fertitta Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Houston Cougars (6-10, 0-5 Big 12) were shorthanded with four players out against the BYU Cougars (14-3, 3-2 Big 12). Graduate forward Amani Bartlett missed the game due to personal reasons while graduate forward Amirah Abdur-Rahim, graduate guard Briana Peguero and senior guard TK Pitts missed the game after being ejected during Wednesday’s game against Kansas State.
 
Redshirt-senior guard Kyndall Hunter led Houston with 19 points off the bench. Junior guard Kierra Merchant followed with 18 points and four steals. Freshman guard Kayla King notched her second-career outing in double figures with 10 points.
 
After being tied at five to start the game, BYU used a 14-2 run to jump out to a 19-7 lead. Houston produced a 6-0 run to apply pressure late in the period before a second BYU run gave them a 28-16 lead.
 
Houston outscored BYU 12-5 in the opening five minutes of the second, cutting the deficit to five at 33-28. A defensive end to the half kept both offenses at bay as BYU held on to a 38-33 advantage through two quarters. 
 
A 6-2 run to open the second half brought Houston within two at 41-39 before BYU responded, stringing together several runs to take a 10-point lead at 61-51 to end the third.
 
BYU found rhythm offensively to start the fourth, growing its lead to as many as 18 to close out the game with five players in double figures, led by Delaney Gibb’s 19 points on the day.
 
UP NEXT
Houston will go on the road to face #17/20 Texas Tech at 6 p.m., Tuesday, inside United Supermarkets Arena. 
 
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– UHCougars.com –