– UHCougars.com –

– The University of Houston Men's Basketball program opens its 74season of competition when it meets Alabama State for the first time at 7 p.m., Tuesday, inside the Fertitta Center.The Cougars enter this week's game following a dominating 106-42 win over Angelo State in an exhibition on Saturday evening. Sophomore guardled all players with 18 points and 13 rebounds as six Cougars reached double-digit points.Under the leadership of two-time defending American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, the Cougars jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first four minutes against the Rams and led for all but 11 seconds in the game.Houston drained 60.0 percent of its shots from the field while limiting Angelo State to only 25.0 percent. The Cougars also outrebounded ASU 49-23 and forced 18 turnovers with only seven giveaways of their own.Freshman guardtotaled 17 points and led all players with five 3-pointers and five assists, while sophomore guardadded 16 points with a pair of treys. Both players were making their Houston debuts.Redshirt freshman guardand junior forwardadded 14 points apiece, while senior centertotaled 10 points with a game-high two blocked shots.• Saturday's game will be the first season opener in the Fertitta Center. The Cougars opened their $60 million home with a 65-61 win over No. 18/21 Oregon on Dec. 1, 2018, but that came in the sixth game of the 2018-19 season.• The Cougars are 53-20 in their all-time season openers and have won their last 10 openers and 14 of the last 15.• Houston is 43-11 when opening their season at home.• Houston is 5-0 in season openers under Head Coachand has won by an average of 32.0 points per game in those contests.• Sampson is 24-2 all-time in season openers during his career. His game-by-game records at Montana Tech (1981-85) are not available.• Alabama State has posted an 0-2 record in 2019-20.• Alabama State is 0-2 in road games this season• In its most recent action, Hornets dropped a 59-50 decision at Missouri State on Sunday.• Against Missouri State, guard Kevin Holston posted 11 points with two assists and a pair of blocked shots to lead the Hornets. He was the only ASU player to score double-digit points.• This season, Tobi Ewuosho leads the Hornets with 9.5 points per game and is tied with Brandon Battle for the team lead with 4.5 assists per contest... Holston tops the team with 4.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.• Head Coach Lewis Jackson is in his 15th season at Alabama State and as a collegiate head coach.• Jackson has compiled a 199-240 record at Alabama State and as a collegiate head coach.• Tuesday's game will be the first time Jackson has faced Houston or Houston Head Coachduring his career.• 1984 graduate of Alabama State.Regular-season single-game tickets for the University of Houston Men's Basketball program's 2019-20 season are on sale now, and fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets soon before all are gone.Fans can purchase single-game tickets at the Houston Athletics Ticket Office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, and any time at uhcougars.com/tickets Fans who were unable to purchase season tickets can get a head start for the 2020-21 season by placing their names on the Priority Waiting List for only a $50 deposit. To reserve places on the Priority Waiting List, fans can register byand follow the appropriate links from the right column.• Fans can watch Tuesday's game on ESPNU with David Saltzman (play-by-play) and Houston great Reid Gettys (analysis) calling or• Fan can hear Tuesday's game on KPRC 950 AM with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Houston Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes (analysis) calling. Fans also can hear the game on the TuneIn app• Following Tuesday's game, the Cougars continue their homestand when they face BYU at 8 p.m., Friday, inside the Fertitta Center.• From there, Houston hits the road for the first time but won't have to leave the city limits as the Cougars meet Rice at 7 p.m., Nov. 19, inside Tudor Fieldhouse.Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, a signed basketball, invitations to practice, a tour of the $25 million Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, regular updates about the program and much more.To join the 50-50 Club, fans can call 713-743-9742 or email UHMensBasketball@uh.edu . For more information about the 50-50 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clickingon the team' Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK