HOUSTON – When you have more than 300 career assists and are about to move into the top 10 all-time at your school, it's a given that you are a team player. Jerome Segura meets that criterion plus so many more, just ask his coaches and teammates.

That's why today's game against the University of Houston was so bittersweet for the senior guard. On the one hand, he scored a season-high 11 points in front of his family and friends, many of whom were seeing him play collegiately for the first time. On the other hand, the men's basketball team fell to the host Cougars by an 88-66 count.

When he spoke after the game, you could feel the disappointment of the final score linger in his voice. But when he stepped through the tunnel and saw a host of relatives waiting for him, you could not help but feel happy for the young man, especially when he received the warmest of embraces from his mother.

"My parents came to see me play against Duke and North Carolina so it was only like the third game that have seen me play live," Segura said. "But this was the first time that most of my family and friends really got to see me. It was great to see so many here including my high school coach and having them support me."

Segura was part of a second-half charge that at one point forced Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson to call a timeout after the Stags came within nine points midway through the second half. At the heart of that comeback was Segura, who scored most of his 11 points during that run mostly on drives the basket with an explosiveness that took his defender by surprise.

"I kind of had a chip on my shoulder because they (Houston) didn't really look at me," Segura said through a smile. "I think that chip definitely helped me during that second half. But it just felt good because I know a couple guys on the team. It was great to be competitive. "

It was ironic that Segura scored the first points of the game when he raced the length of the court, beat his defender to the rim, and laid the ball into the basket. The Stags remained close in the early minutes, trailing by only four points at the first media timeout, 11-7. But a 12-2 run by the Cougars quickly put the Stags behind by double figures at 23-9 with 12:57 remaining in the half.

Houston was able to build on that run and take a 41-24 lead into halftime, giving the Stags pause when they went into the locker room. But whatever Head Coach Sydney Johnson said at the intermission, certainly made an impression because the Stags showed some offensive brilliance at times, including a 14-6 run through the first four minutes of the second half. Segura scored the last two points of that run and added four more to give himself a personal run of six points.

"I think in the first half, we just weren't hitting our shots even though we working and getting open looks," Segura said. "In the second half, we stayed within what we do and I think shots starting falling. I think when we stick to our offense and run it well, we have an offense that is very effective. But we had some costly turnovers that kind of switched the game up for Houston."

Those turnovers helped kick start Houston which went on a 22-9 run over the next five minutes that turned that single-digit deficit into a margin of 22 points at 71-47. Coach Johnson shuffled players in and out of the lineup which helped stave off Houston's run and kept the Stags within that range for the remainder of the game.

And when the final buzzer sounded, Segura was disappointed when he looked at the scoreboard as were his teammates. But being back in Houston seemed to help him, especially when he realized how much his hometown had come since the fury of Hurricane Harvey. Segura, who had not returned to Houston since arriving to campus for the start of this academic year, did all that he could to help the city he calls home including conducting a clothing drive days after the storm hit.

"It's good to be here and see all that stuff that has been happening with the recovery," Segura said. "I felt good be able to give back since I couldn't be here with my family and my friends. Anything I could do to help like sending the gear and playing that charity game (exhibition) against Hofstra was really nice to raise money and give back.

Giving back is what it means to be a team player, and that describes Jerome Segura best of all.