Monday, November 2
Houston, Texas
1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT
Hampton University
0-1,0-0CAA
65
at
73
Houston
1-0,0-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton | 14 | 15 | 14 | 22 | 65 |
| Houston | 20 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 73 |
Photo by: Katie Gilmore
11.2.26 | Women's Basketball
HOUSTON, TEXAS -- (Nov. 2, 2026) … A frantic fourth quarter saw Hampton trim a 20-point third quarter deficit to seven, but the visiting Pirates couldn't overcome a strong Houston start to the second half as the Cougars took a 73-65 win at the Fertitta Center on Monday afternoon in the season opener for both teams.
Hampton (0-1) got on the board in the first minute as Aaryn Battle hit a layup 25 seconds into the game. Houston (1-0) got four quick points and then Zoey Rixter followed up a missed shot for a 4-4 count with 6:49 left in the first.
The teams traded three pointers as Arlisha Boston drained hers from the left wing to level the contest at 7-7 just 32 seconds later.
Houston went on a 9-2 spurt to gain a 16-9 lead after a pair of Kayla King free throws with 2:20 on the clock. Freshman Nilah Rivera converted a three-point play and Kennedy Hall put back a missed shot as Hampton trailed 18-14 with 75 seconds remaining. The Cougars got another pair of free throws from King to end the opening quarter up 20-14.
In the second, the Pirates got the first four points on a pair jumpers from Hall and Rixter to trail 20-18at the 8:36 mark. Houston slowly pushed the lead to eight at 31-23 following a Jorynn Ross layup with 5:12 left.
Hampton cut that in half as Aaryn Battle stole the ball and found Kiki McElrath for a driving layup to trail 33-29 with 3:08 left. That layup for McElrath gave her 1,001 collegiate points, and she was not done on the day.
The hosts scored the last four points of the second quarter and proceeded to start the third on a 20-8 run to take their largest lead of the game at 57-37 with 3:23 left in the third as Janiyah Williams hit a jumper.
McElrath scored the final six points of the quarter as Hampton on a pair of free throws and a pair of layups to trail 57-43 after three quarters.
Houston pushed the lead to 61-44 early in the fourth as Williams hit a jumper at the 8:45 mark. From there the Pirates clawed and stole their way back into the contest as McElrath hit a jumper off a turnover with 37 seconds left to bring Hampton to 70-63. That bucket tied her career high with 31 points.
After Houston's Raegan McCowan hit a pair of free throws, McElrath set her new career high with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left for a 72-65 margin. Esmerelda Enriquez finished the scoring with a free throw.
The 33 points for McElrath makes her the first Hampton Pirate to score 30 points or more in a game since Camryn Hill at College of Charleston on Feb. 2, 2024 when she dropped 30.
Rixter joined McElrath in double figures with 10 points, while Kennedy Hall had eight points and a team-high seven rebounds with five of those offensive.
The Pirates forced 21 Houston turnovers and converted those into 21 points, but the hosts were 30-of-55 from the floor (54.5%) while Hampton was 21-of-62 (33.3%). Enriquez was the leading scorer for Houston with 20 points, while Elodie Luthbert had 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded Hampton 41-36.
Hampton now finishes its "Texas Two-Step" in Dallas on Thursday for an 11 a.m. CST tip against SMU.
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Hampton (0-1) got on the board in the first minute as Aaryn Battle hit a layup 25 seconds into the game. Houston (1-0) got four quick points and then Zoey Rixter followed up a missed shot for a 4-4 count with 6:49 left in the first.
The teams traded three pointers as Arlisha Boston drained hers from the left wing to level the contest at 7-7 just 32 seconds later.
Houston went on a 9-2 spurt to gain a 16-9 lead after a pair of Kayla King free throws with 2:20 on the clock. Freshman Nilah Rivera converted a three-point play and Kennedy Hall put back a missed shot as Hampton trailed 18-14 with 75 seconds remaining. The Cougars got another pair of free throws from King to end the opening quarter up 20-14.
In the second, the Pirates got the first four points on a pair jumpers from Hall and Rixter to trail 20-18at the 8:36 mark. Houston slowly pushed the lead to eight at 31-23 following a Jorynn Ross layup with 5:12 left.
Hampton cut that in half as Aaryn Battle stole the ball and found Kiki McElrath for a driving layup to trail 33-29 with 3:08 left. That layup for McElrath gave her 1,001 collegiate points, and she was not done on the day.
The hosts scored the last four points of the second quarter and proceeded to start the third on a 20-8 run to take their largest lead of the game at 57-37 with 3:23 left in the third as Janiyah Williams hit a jumper.
McElrath scored the final six points of the quarter as Hampton on a pair of free throws and a pair of layups to trail 57-43 after three quarters.
Houston pushed the lead to 61-44 early in the fourth as Williams hit a jumper at the 8:45 mark. From there the Pirates clawed and stole their way back into the contest as McElrath hit a jumper off a turnover with 37 seconds left to bring Hampton to 70-63. That bucket tied her career high with 31 points.
After Houston's Raegan McCowan hit a pair of free throws, McElrath set her new career high with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left for a 72-65 margin. Esmerelda Enriquez finished the scoring with a free throw.
The 33 points for McElrath makes her the first Hampton Pirate to score 30 points or more in a game since Camryn Hill at College of Charleston on Feb. 2, 2024 when she dropped 30.
Rixter joined McElrath in double figures with 10 points, while Kennedy Hall had eight points and a team-high seven rebounds with five of those offensive.
The Pirates forced 21 Houston turnovers and converted those into 21 points, but the hosts were 30-of-55 from the floor (54.5%) while Hampton was 21-of-62 (33.3%). Enriquez was the leading scorer for Houston with 20 points, while Elodie Luthbert had 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded Hampton 41-36.
Hampton now finishes its "Texas Two-Step" in Dallas on Thursday for an 11 a.m. CST tip against SMU.
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Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballTeam Stats
Hamp
UH
FG%
.333
.545
3FG%
.143
.300
FT%
.690
.500
RB
36
41
TO
16
21
STL
10
11
Game Leaders
Pts
33
FGM
11
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
3
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
1
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