Houston women’s basketball bested by No. 9-seed BYU in Big 12 tournament first round, ending season

Houston’s stay in Kansas City, Mo. for the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament was a short one, falling to No. 9-seed BYU 76-66 in the first round of the tournament Wednesday and marking the end of the first season of the coach Matthew Mitchell era.

Despite minimal fan support at T-Mobile Center, Houston created its own atmosphere on the sidelines.

“I believe I’ve seen one Houston shirt out there in the stands, but once you create your own energy on the court, none of that matters,” senior guard TK Pitts said.

Missed opportunities defined the first half for the No. 16-seeded Cougars. 

Despite forcing 15 turnovers off of Brigham Young in the half, Houston wasn’t able to capitalize, scoring only eight points off said turnovers.

It didn’t help that the red Cougars couldn’t knock down their shots, as they went 30% from the field, even though their front-footed defense held BYU to 39% in the half. But thanks to scoring on four of its last five field goal attempts to end the second quarter, Houston tied the game 29 apiece.

In the third quarter, the red Cougars’ shooting woes came back to haunt them as in previous games. Although it connected on all eight of its free throw attempts, Houston shot a miniscule 19% in the frame and connected on only one of its six 3-point attempts.

Meanwhile, the blue Cougars found their offensive rhythm, shooting 53% from the field and committing only two turnovers, taking a 55-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was a war of attrition, as both teams needed a win to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. At one point, Houston was able to cut the deficit to 60-57 with 6:41 left thanks to four consecutive made free throws from sophomore guard Shun’teria Anumele.

But even with Houston having its best shooting percentage of the game at 44%, BYU was simply more efficient, as it shot 53% for the quarter to pull away for the win and advance to the next round of the tournament, where it will take on No. 8-seed Utah on Thursday.

Among their efficiency, the blue Cougars had four players reaching double digits, with freshman guard Olivia Hamlin scoring 16 on 53% shooting along with her five boards and two steals.

“We told our players to try and outwork them and out-hustle them today,” Mitchell said. “And we just gave a tremendous effort.”

Pitts ended her college career with her third double-double of the season for Houston, scoring 14 and grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with five steals.

At the postgame press conference, Pitts got emotional as she thanked Mitchell and the team for her time with the program.

“I think my greatest accomplishment at Houston is that I grew as a human being,” she said. “I’m forever thankful for coach Mitchell. This group of girls that he brought in. We built something special within that locker room and within that gym.”

Pitts was joined by Anumele and her 17 points, with 11 of them coming off free throws.

The Cougars will conclude the first campaign of the Mitchell era on a nine-game losing streak, finishing 7-23 overall and with just one Big 12 win for a second consecutive season.