UH ran East Carolina out of the gym as the Cougars scored more in the first half (44) than the Pirates did in the game (36). Saturday night set several records and put ECU in, uhhh, elite company.
UH has allowed fewer points in a game just six times in 77 seasons, all of those games coming between 1946-1951.
ECU’s 36 points tied the fewest UH has given up over the last 71 seasons.
The last time UH gave up fewer than 36? On December 8, 1951, the Cougars beat Texas A&M, 36-29. It was UH’s season opener and the Cougars’ first game in the new four-quarter system with 10 minute periods. The Aggies did not hit their first field goal until late in the second quarter. A&M scored four points in each of the first two quarters and went 11/52 from the field for the game.
UH didn’t have a deep bench then, either:
UH has now played 2,224 games in its history:
| Points | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | 1/26/1948 | Oklahoma City |
| 29 | 12/8/1951 | Texas A&M |
| 31 | 12/2/1947 | Abilene Christian |
| 33 | 12/2/1949 | Loyola |
| 34 | 2/8/1947 | Trinity |
| 35 | 1/10/1946 | North Texas |
| 36 | 12/1/1949 | Hardin-Simmons |
| 36 | 1/10/1987 | Rice |
| 36 | 1/22/2022 | East Carolina |
Houston sent ECU home with a new school record for fewest field goals in program history (8). Their previous record was 11, set in 2016.
Their .16 FG% set a school record for worst FG% in the shot clock era (.211 – Clemson 2004).
In the shot clock era, ECU has scored fewer than 36 points just once – 35 vs. College of Charleston in 2016.
In 66 possessions, ECU had three shot-clock violations (felt like more), while UH blocked nine shots and had eight steals.
The Pirates were 5/9 on layups meaning they were 3/41 otherwise (7.3%). That’s 2/22 on jumpers (9.1%) and 1/19 from three-point (5.3%).
The game tied UH’s fewest points allowed in the shot clock era (36 – Rice 1987).
The 36 points allowed is the second-fewest in an AAC game in the league’s history (Rutgers/Louisville 2014).
The game tied the fewest points allowed in a UH conference game since Trinity scored 34 in a Lone Star Conference game on 2/8/1947. That’s 27,378 days ago or just two weeks shy of 75 years since UH gave up fewer to a league opponent.
Thirty-two teams have scored 36 or more against UH in the last decade. In football.
ECU’s eight field goals are almost assuredly a school record for the UH defense, although some games do not have a box score available (Oklahoma City 1948 among them).
Numbers higher than ECU’s 8 field goals:
- UH field goals 1st half (16)
- UH field goals 2nd half (14)
- UH layups (14)
- UH three-point FGs (8)*
- ECU turnovers (13)
- UH assists (20)
- UH assists 2nd half (12)
- UH assists 1st half (8)*
- UH blocks (9)
- UH steals (8)*
- ECU assists, blocks, and steals combined (9)
- UH offensive rebounds (16)
- UH offensive rebounds 2nd half (9)
- UH kicker Dalton Witherspoon 2021 field goals (16)
*tied
