By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AFTER four consecutive games where he failed to score in double figures, Danrad “Chicken” Knowles had a breakout game for his Houston Cougars as the team moved to 7-2 on the year.

Knowles finished with 25 points, four rebounds and four blocks in the Cougars’ 82-77 win over the University of Rhode Island Rams Saturday at Hofeinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas.

Knowles shot 7-10 from the floor, and 11-12 from the line. His totals for points, blocks, made field goals and made free throws were all season highs.

Knowles said he was inspired after a conversation with fellow Bahamian, former Cougars player and current assistant director for player development with the Cougars, Mikhail McLean.

“I really had my mind set from the day before. After talking to Mikhail, I was locked and ready. I’m seeing a lot [of improvement] lately, but I still have a lot of work to do. I have to be a better rebounder. I always have something to work on. The team needed me. I toughed it out.”

On the season, Knowles is averaging 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and shooting 58 per cent from the field.

Knowles, who averaged six points and 3.7 rebounds per game as a junior last season, addressed the changes in his game during the offseason and his relationship with head coach Kelvin Sampson.

“It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve developed over time, and that’s a big plus. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we’re going to get there,” Knowles said. “[Learning from head coach Sampson]. It’s been hard, but all you’ve to do is take it and learn from it. Just suck it up. There’s not much you can do but listen and learn. He’s made me more mentally tough and intense. Hopefully, you don’t see me spaz on the court. It’s going to be a fun season.”

After falling behind early against the Rams, the Cougars connected on 56.5 per cent of from the field in the second half and limited the Rams to only 42.4 per cent in the final 20 minutes.

The game did not start well for the Cougars. Houston trailed 14-5 just more than four minutes into the game and faced a 42-37 halftime deficit.

The Cougars scored 11 points to start the second half and moved into a 48-48 tie after with 15:37 remaining.

They built a 73-68 lead with just more than two minutes remaining and put the game away with a late three pointer to remain ahead for good.

Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson said he and the Bahamian forward had an in-depth discussion about the prospects of his senior season moving forward.

“I really enjoyed sitting down with (Danrad Knowles) and having a conversation about his senior year, where he’s at and expectations,” he said. “He knew going into this game we were going to him. We established that on Thursday, that we can go to Chicken.”

The Cougars are returning eight players from last season, three of whom started at least 20 games. Five of the eight are seniors who will use their past experience on the team to lead the younger players.

The Cougars have a strong non-conference schedule, including losses against SEC teams Arkansas and LSU.

“Early in the season you learn not to get carried away with losses or wins. You’re still trying to form an identity with the team, regardless of whether you have guys back or not. If you have one new guy and lose one guy, you have a completely different team because everything is changed. Roles have changed and sometimes an attitude will change, so you’re constantly fighting to get your team right,” he said.

“The thing I liked about tonight, other than beating a really good team, is how they fought. We really played hard. We invested in that game. The reason it feels so good for our kids is when you invest in something, the result means more because you gave a lot. When you just go through the motions and win, there’s not any euphoria or sense of accomplishment because you haven’t invested. We’ve invested tonight, and we knew we had to.”

They finished last season with a 22-8 win/loss record. Despite the fact the Cougars were solid throughout the regular season, they suffered a disappointing 81-62 loss to Georgia Tech in the first round of the NIT tournament.

Houston will return to the floor December 17 when they host the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.