The Mountain West Track and Field Championships began in 2000 and have been hosted by several schools in the conference. Each year these schools compete to determine the best team overall while the athletes fight for their spots in the NCAA Championship. CSU is no stranger to winning the Mountain West indoors with nine total wins between both men and women. Most recently, the women took first place in the 2022 indoor championship. They are going into this year as reigning champs with hopes of defending that honor. While the men aren’t the reigning indoor champs, they aren’t far removed from that title, taking first place in the 2020 indoor Mountain West Championship.

StuGov heard a presentation about the Belonging and Culture survey, approved funding for BIPOC Wellness Fair and offered support for the RA Union

In honor of President’s Day (one of America’s most treasured holidays,) I’ve compiled a list of the chicest Presidents to have ever graced the oval office with their unique, cutting-edge style. 

Morgan Smith was a junior at the University of Minnesota when she went out to the Dinkytown bar Blarney Pub and Grill, just two blocks from campus, on what was supposed to be a fun night out. 

It was about 1 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2021, when she was washing her hands in the basement bathroom in front of a crowd of girls waiting in line for their turn. She looked up at herself in the dingy mirror when two muffled pops suddenly sounded from the upstairs level; everyone in the bathroom began to panic. 

“‘Turn the music off, everybody get down!’” she recalled hearing the DJ shout. “And everybody was on the ground.”

She and her friends asked a person at the bar what was going on. He told her somebody was getting kicked out because they pulled a gun on an employee.

Reports of shots fired in Minneapolis’ Marcy Holmes neighborhood hit a high in 2021; police responded to 91 reports of shots fired in the neighborhood.

In the past two years, many University students in the neighborhoods surrounding campus have experienced gun violence firsthand, whether that be at campus bars, walking home or looking out their windows.

“We hear about this stuff all the time, but it wouldn’t happen here,” Smith said she used to think to herself. 

‘Holy s***, I almost got shot.’

In the summer of 2021, Josh Klavins, a University student going into his junior year, was walking a friend home from Blarney around 3 a.m.

They were outside the Uncommon apartment building on 4th Street SE talking for a few minutes until they suddenly heard shots fired from a suppressed gun, a gun intended to be quieter than a normal gun. 

Because he was caught up in a conversation with his friend, he didn’t recognize what the sound was until he felt something fly past his leg; he turned around to see a car speeding away from them. Just one more turn and he found the window of the Uncommon was completely shattered behind him with one bullet hole in the center of it.

“‘Holy s***,’” he remembered thinking. “‘I almost just got shot.’”

He walked home in shock and told his roommates about the incident. He went to bed hardly believing it really happened.

Klavins said following the incident, he ensured he was always walking home in a group and did not stay out as late in Dinkytown. 

Klavins said even now, he feels less safe on campus. 

“It’s kind of sad,” he said.

National gun violence issues

While University students detailed experiences of gun violence occurring in neighborhoods just off of campus, college campus shootings are not nonexistent. Although college campus shootings are less common and there is less data available compared to K-12 shootings, the most recent incident took place on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus on Feb, 13.

A gunman opened fire in two different buildings on MSU’s campus, killing three students and critically injuring five others. Students, staff and faculty sheltered in place while police searched for the suspect, who later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

This is not the only recent shooting on a college campus. On Nov. 13, 2022, another shooting happened at the University of Virginia; three students died and two others were wounded. 

A trend over the past 15 years has enabled people in the U.S. to carry guns on campuses in 40 states, Northeastern University professor James Alan Fox, who maintains the longest-running data source on mass killings, said in an interview with Northeastern News. 

Students for Concealed Carry, a grassroots organization formed after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 that left 33 people dead, lobbied for an increase from one to 20 states that permitted guns on all campuses. An additional 20 states allow colleges to decide whether to permit guns on campus and 10 ban carrying guns on their campuses.

University Board of Regents policy on possession and carrying of weapons prohibits anyone outside of law enforcement or military personnel from carrying a weapon while on University property. 

The definition of “mass shooting” is controversial, leading to different opinions on what the threshold is for how many fatalities need to occur, said University of Minnesota journalism professor Ruth DeFoster, who studies gun violence and mass shootings in correlation to mental health. However, she defines a mass shooting as a shooting that leads to three or more deaths, not including the shooter.

In 2022, there were 647 mass shootings in the U.S., according to Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit that tracks gun violence incidents. According to the archive, there have been more than 80 mass shootings since the beginning of 2023. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in 2020 more Americans died from gun-related injuries than in any other year. 

“The U.S. has more than one gun for every man, woman and child on the planet in the country, and that’s the highest per capita rate of gun ownership in any country,” DeFoster said.

When other countries like Australia put gun control policy in place, it proved to be extremely effective in preventing shootings, according to DeFoster. Mass shootings in Australia have significantly decreased since the 1996 National Firearms Agreement law was put in place.

According to DeFoster, because the U.S. has not passed similar gun legislation, the number of mass shootings is rising. She said gun legislation “is the only variable that sets us apart from other countries” in the number of shootings per year.

However, it has been difficult for government organizations such as the CDC to study gun violence due to a Republican effort to decrease their funding, DeFoster said.

“The thing that’s just so frustrating is we have the answer. It’s not rocket science. There are too many guns,” DeFoster said. “The data are very, very clear that when you introduce more guns into any space, whether that’s your home, your workplace, your school…the rates of gun violence commensurately go right up alongside it.”

‘I feel like I’ve told this story so much it’s just like ingrained.’

University senior Jack Menzies said during his sophomore year, he lived in the 4th Street Co-op apartments in Dinkytown above Frank and Andrea’s pizza with three of his close friends. 

They had their windows cracked open for some fresh air around 11 p.m. one night when they heard the sound of a gunshot. As they made their way toward the window, they heard a multitude of additional gunshots (six more if he had to guess). 

That is when they ran the remainder of the distance to the window. They saw two men running away from each other right outside the patio gates of the Kollege Klub just across the street.

One of the men was wobbling down the street and screaming for help.

Menzies said from their fifth-floor apartment, they could see the other man’s blood start to “pool out of his leg” while he was sitting against a wall outside of the Kollege Klub. 

The man who was still running down the street was making his way toward the Marshall apartment complex and kept falling down every few strides, until after one fall when he did not get back up.

The man who was sitting down initially was taken into an ambulance by paramedics as Menzies and his roommates saw a white sheet pulled over the other man’s body after a failed attempt at CPR.

“I walked just about every day where that guy ended up dying,” Menzies said.

Tyler Rife, who is also a senior at the University, said he heard many gunshots from his window during his sophomore year when he lived at the Marshall in Dinkytown.

Rife said he saw the same man lying on the ground after being shot. Since he said it was common for him to witness shootings in the area, he does not recall many details about that night or any other shots he heard or saw fired.

“I’ve seen like three other shootings as well, just in that one year I lived there,” he said. “It just seems pretty violent.”

How students feel about their safety: ‘In general, it’s kind of sad’

DeFoster said it is highly unlikely for a shooting to happen on a college campus; however, she has heard a lot of chatter among University students and local Twin Cities residents who don’t feel safe and feel they need to buy a gun to protect themselves. 

“That is the worst possible thing you can do…There’s only been one mass shooting that I’m aware of ever in the U.S. that’s been stopped by a civilian with a gun out of thousands.” DeFoster said.

Most students said to an extent they have been wary of going out in Dinkytown at night after witnessing or hearing about incidents; however, they do not think much of it after a year or more passes.

Menzies said his perspective of going out in Minneapolis has shifted, and he now takes warnings from others that the city can be dangerous into consideration more than he used to. 

“It’s something you do have to think about here, and that kind of sucks,” he said. “In general, it’s just kind of sad that it has to be like that here.”

He said he is envious of his friends who live on other campuses such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they have not had the same experiences of worrying about going out. Menzies said he feels the dangers are most present at night, so he has never felt unsafe on his walks to campus during the day.

Some students said they felt less safe on campus in general and are concerned shooting incidents could happen on campus.

Smith said in terms of campus safety, she does worry about how shooting incidents have happened so close to campus because “they could just walk across the street and be on campus.” 

Smith said she now avoids going to Blarney and is more aware of her surroundings out of fear for her safety. However, she said her experience has not impacted her decisions to stay out late in Dinkytown in general. 

Menzies said although he does feel more unsafe on campus knowing it is a possibility that violent crime can happen anywhere, he does not necessarily think about his safety as often as he believes he should.  

Since his friends have similar stories about their encounters with shootings in Dinkytown, he said he is not as worried about his safety when going out in a group since it has become a normalized experience for him and his friends.

Rife said his parents worry about his safety on and off campus more than he does.

“I know my parents read the news, and they’ve been pretty livid with the University of Minnesota’s campus safety,” he said.

Rife said he believes the University has a lot of power to put more effort into preventative measures to protect students.

What the University of Minnesota is doing

“Emergency preparedness is critically important to campus operations system-wide, and we have protocols in place to respond to shootings or other large-scale public safety threats,” the University’s Director of Public Relations Jake Ricker said in an email.

The protocols and resources provided to understand roles and responsibilities if something like a shooting were to happen on campus are ever-changing. The University has these in place to address potential threats to neutralize situations before they escalate, Ricker said.

The University offers online trainings primarily to University community members through the Training Hub. The University’s Health and Safety team offers more than 60 annual safety courses, some online and others in person. Typically, between 35,000 and 40,000 people utilize the safety courses each year, Ricker said. 

In 2022, the University held four exercises dealing with scenarios involving hostile intruders, active shooters or other emergency events. These exercises involved various departments including the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD), campus EMT services and outside agencies like the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). 

In 2022, one of the exercises was an active shooter scenario in a University building. Gopher Athletics’ annual exercise in 2022 presented a scenario for responding to reports of noises similar to gunshots during a major stadium event, Ricker said.

Additionally, all campus buildings are required to have a Building Emergency Plan (BEP) that outlines the steps to take during an emergency like an active shooter. A designated faculty lead maintains a building’s BEP, and they are responsible for informing building occupants of those response procedures. 

BEPs are not publicly available because they contain individuals’ personal information, Ricker said. The University is looking into ways to publicly post building-specific plans without divulging any personal information. 

Posters that outline general emergency procedures are posted in buildings and online, Ricker said.

In addition to University exercises, second-year physical therapy student Tierra Prescott worked with the Department of Safety to create an ongoing monthly self-defense class. Prescott said she felt that providing it solely on an as “needed basis” at the University was not effective enough.

“I offer an optional anonymous survey after every class so they can take it if they want to and from responses that I’ve seen, they say it’s effective and they learn about situational awareness,” Prescott said. “It’s more coming to the awareness of what people’s bodies can do and just giving them that empowerment like ‘yes, I can take my personal safety into my own hands.’” 

Board of Regents members weigh in

“I think the University always needs to be prepared for any large-scale crisis event to happen on-campus, and that includes a mass shooting,” University Regent James Farnsworth said.

Farnsworth said gun violence prevention efforts should be done through the partnership between the UMPD and the MPD to have a sufficient police presence in off-campus areas.

“I think the University should support the Minneapolis Police Department’s initiatives when it comes to how to deal with gun violence crimes in our off-campus areas, which should be the jurisdiction of the Minneapolis Police Department,” he said.

Farnsworth said he believes the University needs to continue to make strategic safety planning a priority, include it in budgeting plans and inform the community to prevent reactive crimes, such as shootings, from happening on and near campus.

“We need to continue making sure we’re keeping our eyes on the ball,” he said.

Regent Mike Kenyanya said in an emai “off-campus activity can be a bellwether for campus,” and public safety has been a board priority lately. Regents have been in close contact with the UMPD and the board has conducted public listening forums regarding shootings.

Parents and students have provided feedback that they do not see a practical distinction between on and off campus on the University maps due to students living and working in both areas, Kenyanya said. Therefore, the University prioritizes crime both on campus and in its surrounding areas, he said.

Kenyanya said he believes the University needs to continue enhancing early intervention programs and promoting more ways for people to share concerns about community members’ safety.

“Anytime I read or watch coverage regarding a tragedy like [the University of Virginia shooting], you always hear people say things like ‘we never thought this could happen here.’ As leaders, that’s not a mindset we can afford to have,” Kenyanya said. “That wouldn’t be fair to everyone who works at, studies at or visits any of our campuses.”

“College of Fine Arts Front Door Access” petition received a response from CFA administration.

The organization brings Questrom graduate students together for a break from the competitive business school environment.

On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, the town of Orono’s annual municipal election will officially be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Council Chambers at 59 Main Street. In the meantime, early voting has already begun, so the platforms of the current candidates on the ballet are relevant and deserving of review.

There are currently two seats up for re-election on both the Orono Town Council and the RSU No. 26 School Board. These positions all have three-year term limits and allow the chosen candidates enough time to make a difference in the Orono community and in its education system while they hold seats, so it is important for voters to know about those they are selecting.

University of Maine’s own Kevin Roberge, an adjunct lecturer in mathematics and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, is running for a position on the school board. Roberge has already served on the board and is hopeful to be reelected in order to continue working toward achieving greater equity and inclusion in the school system.

Also hopeful to claim an open spot on the board is Brittany Cline, who is connected to the university through her role as an adjunct faculty member. As an ecologist and mother of two, Cline is passionate about allowing environmental education to play a significant role in early childhood learning and development. One of Cline’s key goals if she clinches an open seat is to aid the district in accessing locally-grown organic food, as well as placing more of an emphasis on food insecurity and the opportunities for growing locally. Like Roberge, Cline is also eager to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the school system and beyond.

The final candidate for consideration of a school board position is three-time elect Jake Eckert. Eckert spent two years as board chair before embarking on a six-year run as board vice chair. As someone who works professionally in insurance, Eckert believes the main purpose of a school board is to make sure that schools are run in a fiscally responsible manner. He also prioritizes making sure that every student, regardless of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, or identity can feel comfortable in their learning environment.

The Orono town council’s open seats also have three candidates vying for the chance to best serve the community.

Jonathan Parker, owner and operator of Black Bear Lawn Care, previously served on the Veazie Town Council for six years. Parker also worked as a call division firefighter for the Orono Fire Department for 12 years and has engaged in a variety of time-consuming community service activities throughout his lifelong residency in the Orono area. As a small business owner and father of four, Parker hopes to acquire a seat on the council so that he can continue his efforts for making Orono an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Next up on the ballot is Meghan Gardner, who has served on the council since 2017 and is its current vice chair. In her professional career, Gardner is currently the academic advisor for UMaine’s Graduate School of Business. In addition to the town council, she holds an additional vice chair position on the Maine Women’s Lobby and Education Fund, which is a non-profit organization seeking greater gender justice throughout the state of Maine.

The third and final council candidate for consideration is former UMaine director of marketing and communications, Daniel Demeritt. After spending years coordinating projects for the university, such as the “Together for Maine” public health campaign, Demeritt moved on to the Maine Association of Health Plans, which he currently leads.

“We have found incredible belonging in Orono, met wonderful people, and made unforgettable new family memories. I want the same for everyone who lives, works and learns here,” Demeritt stated after moving to Orono with his family.

This year’s candidates for the RSU No. 26 School Board and the Orono Town Council have dedicated their lives to serving the community through various methods of engagement over the years. It is important for local voters to now do their part by getting out and making their vote count.

For more information on the upcoming municipal election, visit ​​https://www.orono.org/304/Elections-Voting-Information.

The changes made to the SGA election code effect everything from campaign finance to term limits. | James Schillinger/The Cougar

In a display of faux-political maneuvering that began his second week in office, Student Government Association president Joshua Martin quietly oversaw a complete redesign of the SGA election rules that has paved the way for his second campaign.

The changes were passed unanimously by the senate last April as part of a Student Government Bill simply titled “Election Code Revisions.” The revised code features fundamental alterations to everything from presidential term limits to how campaigns are conducted and held fiscally accountable, but that’s not how Martin presented it to the senate. 

Mathematics junior and senator representing the College of Natural Science and Mathematics, Salik Faisal, was just beginning his term when he voted to pass the bill. Newly elected, when Martin presented the updated code as being purely in the interest of student engagement, he saw no reason to doubt him. 

“Every single senator, including myself at the time, was under the illusion that the changes to the election code were about improving voter turnout in the next election,” Faisal said. “It was only later that I found out that the document, which passed the senate unanimously, had all these other changes that they weren’t upfront about.”

Martin still maintains this position. He claimed that the sole motivation behind the laundry list of updates was improving voter turnout.

“After the changes made during the 55th administration, there was a steep decline in the number of students casting ballots in SGA elections,” Martin said. “Last year, only a little over 2,000 students voted. This is a sharp downturn from the 5,000-6,000 we saw in 2016 and 2017.”

But for senators like Faisal, the situation felt less like an innocent attempt at increasing engagement and more like deliberate misdirection. While directing the senate’s attention away from the dozens of clauses that were either re-written, added or removed, Martin’s administration also ensured it was as difficult as possible for senators to understand the true nature of what was at stake. 

The election code itself is a nearly 30-page document comprised of section after section of electoral regulations. Newly elected senators were expected to read this code, then read the new one, and identify each of the dozens of modified clauses before voting. Even then, the existence of this litigious responsibility was never explicitly communicated, Faisal said.

“The responsibility of us as senators to know the election code by heart is not something that was communicated to us,” Faisal said. “If they had told us that when they introduced it, I’m sure that would have tripped alarm bills in some of our heads.” 

Faisal’s account of the process is a far cry from what former SGA president Cameron Barrett described doing when he oversaw similar revisions as head of the 55th administration. 

“I sent weekly updates to the whole senate during the drafting process,” Barrett said. “I mean, otherwise, it’d be pretty burdensome to just go to the senate with a new document and tell them to figure out how it’s different.” 

Similar in scale but drastically opposed in impact, the updates made to the election code by Barrett pose a stark contrast to those made during Martin’s presidency. A large portion of what was repealed under Martin were changes that Barrett himself made as president in 2018. 

Below, The Cougar will explore some of the more significant differences between each administration’s approach to student government elections. Each section will be accompanied by Barrett’s testimony, both in his capacity as author of many of the repealed clauses and as an expert on SGA.

Removal of term limits

The SGA election code now allows incumbents to run for office after their term has expired. The term limit has been on the books since at least 2018 and prohibited presidents and vice presidents who had served at least half their terms from running for office again. 

According to Martin, however, this limitation on eligibility for office was unconstitutional.

“When the 55th administration implemented that policy, they were in violation of the SGA Constitution,” Martin said. “So that needed to be changed to reflect the stipulations set out by the constitution.”

The updated regulations, found in article three, section two of the SGA Election Code, removed almost all limitations on candidacy.

“The only requirement for a student to hold or seek elective office is that the student will be in good academic and disciplinary standing, with certain exceptions,” the new SGA Election Code reads. “Students who previously served sanctions for offenses either violent or sexual in nature are not permitted to seek or hold office in the Student Government.”

Background: The logic behind term limits, for Barrett, was simple: It makes for a more even playing field. As someone who had to overcome an incumbent candidate himself, he decided the best way to deal with that advantage would be to remove it entirely. 

“It’s very difficult to account for incumbency advantage in something like SGA,” Barrett said. “I just think it’s philosophically a good thing to give other people a chance to win positions in SGA on an even playing field.”

Increased spending caps

If nothing else, UH students can now claim to host one of the most expensive SGA elections in the Houston area. Prior to the passage of the new SGA Election Code, political parties and independent presidential candidates were limited to a maximum of $1,200 for campaign expenditures. Now, the limit has been raised to a staggering $10,000. 

The new limits, found in article six, section one of the SGA Election Code, make for some of the highest SGA campaign finance caps among Texas universities. 

Texas Southern University limits its candidates to a maximum of $750 for individual campaigns and $750 per member for parties. The University of Texas at Austin, on the other hand, has an expense limit of just $511. Even private schools such as Baylor University limit their candidates to just $500. 

Martin claimed his intent in raising the limit wasn’t to exclude lower-income students but to allow for more flexibility in campaigning.

“We really wanted to give students the ability to be creative in how they ran their campaign,” Martin said. “Ideally, more campaigning and awareness will generate more engagement.”

Background: According to Barrett, winning an SGA election boils down to one thing: flyers. Specifically, who can hand out more of them. This creates a balancing act when it comes to limits on campaign spending. Candidates need to be allowed enough to compete but not so much that those from wealthy families would have an undue advantage.

A staggering cap of $10,000, however, greatly tips the scales in favor of the wealthy, Barrett said. 

“I think it is a real equity concern to be able to spend that much on an election,” Barrett said. “ With that money, you could just pay third-party canvassers to hand out flyers. Then you really can just buy the election.”

Voting system overhaul

The most immediately noticeable change, and the only one Martin’s administration was happy to inform its senators of, is the overhaul of the voting system. 

Since 2018, SGA elections have been conducted using a ranked-choice system. Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates from whom they would most like elected to the least. 

The new code replaced this system with the pre-2018 method, known as first-past-the-post, is closer to the traditional method of voting used in local, state and federal elections. Instead of ranking candidates, voters will simply choose one candidate per seat to cast a ballot for. This change can be found in article five, section 5, clause two of the SGA Election Code. 

Background: One of the most impactful overhauls Barrett made to the election code in 2018 was the implementation of a ranked-choice voting system. The system was intended to remedy a winner-take-all pattern seen in previous elections conducted using first-past-the-post.

“The issue was that pretty much every year is that the party gets the most votes, ends up sweeping the senate,” Barrett said. “Even my party only won like a third of the total votes came out with almost two-thirds of the senate. It felt very disproportionate.”

Barrett’s goal, and the idea behind ranked-choice voting in general, is to create a representative democracy that is careful to take into account the minority. Where straight-ticket created a situation where the winning party gets representation, and the losers get none, ranked-choice creates room for a plurality of voices and parties. 

Changes to donations, expenditure reporting

In addition to raising spending caps, changes were also made to candidates’ financial reporting obligations. Two key clauses were either heavily edited or removed entirely, which could be a game-changer for candidates with wealthy support networks.

Article six, section two, clause two of the SGA Election code governs how candidates are to report the donation of goods, such as stickers and buttons, on their financial disclosure forms. Where previous administrations required candidates to report any materials purchased at “fair market value,” they now only have to report the actual amount they paid. 

Article 12 of the same section was completely stricken from the SGA Election Code. The now-removed text originally read: 

“All donations, both tangible and intangible, financial or non-financial, must be disclosed on an individual’s or party’s donation list,” the 58th SGA Election Code reads. “All non-financial contributions/donations to an individual or party must be assessed a fair market value.”

Background: Once again a product of Barrett’s administration, the repealed clauses concerning donations were intended to limit the advantages of wealth in SGA elections. 

“In the interest of keeping the election fair, If you’re born into a wealthy family, it’s important that you try to control your potential structural advantage,” Barrett said. “It can be really hard for people like me who were working in a grocery store and living with their grandma to compete with whose dad owns a print shop and can just donate flyers at absurd prices.”

The increased spending caps and relaxed regulations concerning donations are a point of concern for Barrett. Accounting for outside resources and finding ways to limit their impact on elections is crucial, and Barrett believes the changes he made ultimately had a positive impact on SGA. 

“I think that my administration and the subsequent two administrations were somewhat anomalous because all three of those presidents came from working-class backgrounds,” Barrett said. “That was a direct result of the changes that we implemented in the election code, which made it a lot easier for poor students to actually participate.”

Final thoughts

Though the changes took some time to come to light, the impact they will ultimately have on future elections remains to be seen. Nowhere is apathy as grave a danger than in the context of student government. Every year, races are decided by just a tiny fraction of the total student body. 

SGA’s impact is tiny relative to local, state and federal government. Still, it’s important to remember that  SGA, and college in general, are where people come to learn the lessons that will ultimately shape their worldview. This situation is a learning opportunity, one where our collective action will decide the lessons we learn as individuals. 

“Frankly, you could change the election code to make student government a one-party dictatorship,” Barrett said. “Even then, most students would be more focused on getting to class than actually caring about SGA.”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“How SGA President Joshua Martin quietly reshaped elections in his favor” was originally posted on The Cougar

The festival took place on Feb. 14 at Marsh Chapel.

J’Wan Roberts throws down an emphatic two-handed slam early in the first half of No. 2 UH’s win over Memphis on Sunday. | Anh Le/The Cougar

Building and taking the lead into the half has not been an issue for No. 2 Houston.

Not taking its foot off the gas early to maintain a lead is what UH has emphasized down the homestretch of the regular season.

UH faced another test on Sunday afternoon against Memphis as its 11-point halftime lead quickly dwindled down to just four minutes into the second half.

“I thought (Memphis) came back because we made a couple of bonehead plays,” said UH head coach Sampson. “Don’t throw the ball away. We’re wearing white today, fellas. Throw it to the ones it white. That would help.”

Instead of allowing things to further crumble, UH responded with a 9-2 run and held on to its lead down the stretch to defeat Memphis 72-64 in front of a record-breaking Fertitta Center crowd of 7,730.

“We did a good job staying composed (during Memphis’ run) and then coming back and getting our run,” said senior guard Marcus Sasser.

Sasser finished with 20 points, including going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the second half.

Sitting at 13-1 in AAC play, UH (25-2) can clinch a share of the league’s regular-season title with a win over Tulane on Wednesday night

J’Wan Roberts was a force for the Cougars down low, scoring a career-high 20 and grabbing 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

“Sometimes to get J’Wan going, I call his number a lot,” Sampson said. “J’Wan is a really really good basketball player.”

It didn’t matter that it took a while for UH to get its offense because of the clinic it put up on the defensive end of the floor, forcing 14 Memphis first-half turnovers which turned into 16 Cougars’ points.

With just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, Sasser broke a 13-13 tie with a corner 3, his first points of the game, which sparked a 9-0 UH run. 

While the opportunities for a breakaway stretch to put the game out of reach were there at multiple points during the second half, nothing ever materialized for the Cougars.

“We had a lot of good looks that could have extended (the lead),” Sampson said. “We’d miss an open 3, they’d go down and drive it and get to the free throw line.”

Despite being without guard Kendric Davis, who is averaging 21.3 points and 5.8 assists per game, due to a right ankle injury, Memphis hung around.

Led by Elijah McCadden, who finished with 20 points, and DeAndre Williams, who had 18 points before fouling out with 1:10 left, the Tigers cut the Cougars’ lead back down to five points with just over a minute left.

UH did just enough to hold on down the stretch, making nine of its 10 late-game free throws to seal the win.

Jamal Shead had 10 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field.

While Sampson was the first to admit the win was not pretty, he was encouraged that his team yet again found a way to win despite not playing its A-game.

“The makeup is the team is winners,” Sampson said. “These kids know how to win. That’s what these kids do. They win.” 

UH, having won seven straight and 16 of its last 17 games, could jump back to No. 1 in the AP poll for the third time this season when it is released on Monday morning with top-ranked Alabama and third-ranked Purdue both losing earlier in the week.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“No. 2 UH withstands Memphis’ second-half push for seventh straight win” was originally posted on The Cougar