Houston Rolls to 62-47 Win over UW-Green Bay

Chandi Jones

Chandi Jones scored 28 points and ninth-ranked Houston defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay 62-47 to win a first-round NCAA tournament game for the first time Saturday night.

The third-seeded Lady Cougars (28-3) advanced in just their third-ever NCAA tourney appearance and first in 12 years. They've won 22 of their last 23 games, including a school-record 13 in a row.

The 14th-seeded Phoenix (23-8) were playing in their third straight NCAA tourney, having won a first-round game last year for the first time. But they couldn't counter the scoring-rebounding punch of Jones and Sancho Lyttle.

Lyttle added seven points and 10 rebounds after playing just seven minutes in the first half when she picked up two quick fouls. Nicole Oliver scored 11 points.

Nicole Soulis led Wisconsin-Green Bay with 13 points and Amy Fieck grabbed 11 rebounds. Abby Scharlow was held to eight - half her average.

The Phoenix had won 17 of their previous 19 games and four in a row after playing more than half the season with just eight healthy players. Tiffany Mor and Natalie Yudt - the only seniors on the roster - were lost to left knee injuries.

Jones and the rest of the Lady Cougars started slowly. They didn't take their first double-digit lead of the game until Jones' basket made it 48-37 with 8:15 remaining.

Wisconsin-Green Bay tied the game at 27 early in the second half and then Scharlow scored consecutive baskets to get the Phoenix to 41-36.

Then Jones and Lyttle combined to score 14 straight points and give Houston a 55-43 lead with 3:37 remaining. Houston shot 37 percent (24-of-64) from the floor, while Wisconsin-Green Bay was held to 29 percent (18-of-63) in a game that featured a combined 20 turnovers.

The Phoenix led 27-25 at the break after scoring the final eight points. Houston struggled through poor shooting stretches and didn't score at all over the final 3:24 after blowing all of its nine-point lead.

Both teams got off to shaky starts. The Lady Cougars shot 6-of-16 from the floor, while the Phoenix was 2-of-13 with seven turnovers in the first nine minutes.