#14 Houston Basketball put up their best overall performance of the year so far vs a quality BYU team and dominated with a 31 point margin of victory as the Cougars won their sixth straight game.
This was also the 30th straight home win in a row, which is the longest streak in the nation. Additionally, the victory marks 15 straight conference wins at home.
Junior guard Emanuel Sharp scored a game high 18 points along with 15 points from sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux off the bench. The crowd is the loudest heard so far in the Big 12 home opener as UH played well in all facets of the game.
Sharp got the offense started with an early mid range bucket and three. Houston took an initial 16-6 lead while forcing turnovers. The Cougars eventually built it up to 23-12 after free throws and an alley-oop to Joseph Tugler. Graduate guard LJ Cryer hit a three for his first bucket, as Houston maintained a double digit lead.
Sophomore forward Terrance Arceneaux made a buzzer beating three before Houston went on a tear before half with back to back buckets from senior forward Ja’Vier Francis.
Houston led 39-22 at the half, which was the largest lead of the game so far. Sharp and Arceneaux each had nine points.
Sharp continued to stay hot from beyond the arc to start the second half. The lead jumped to 22 after Cryer’s second three of the game. Houston continued to build their lead as Francis added a three point play before a couple more treys from the Cougars extended the advantage to 30. The cherry on top was an alley-oop dunk by graduate guard Mylik Wilson on a fastbreak for the 34 point lead.
#1: Defense and rebounding was impressive
The Houston defense got out to a signature start, forcing an airball and shot clock violation on first possession of the game. Sophomore forward Joseph Tugler made his presence felt with a couple of early blocks. UH ended up with seven blocks, three of them from Francis.
“We were in the passing lanes with our length and our athleticism. It causes a lot of problems,” head coach Kelvin Sampson said.
Houston basketball did an exceptional job rebounding against one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country. The Cougars were +13 overall on the boards, but also were extremely effective on the offensive glass. UH had 17 offensive rebounds compared to just five for BYU. That resulted in 18 second chance points. The Cougars also got 9 steals, something they generally do well.
“That’s our identity, it has been for a while. It’s what we do,” Sampson said.
Sampson mentioned how they have two starting five’s in Tugler and Francis and how teams need that to be successful. The Cougars head coach also mentioned how Francis played at an all-conference level.
“I thought the best defensive player on the court was LJ Cryer, period,” Sampson said.
#2: Big time threes to create a huge advantage
The Cougars made a season high 16 three pointers and shot 47% from beyond the arc. This improved to 61% in the second half. Terrance Arceneaux hit a career high in three pointers made with four. Sharp added four 3’s of his own along with a trifecta from Cryer who heated up as the game went on. Junior point guard Milos Uzan added two threes, along with eight assists to lead the Houston offense. UH shot 49% from the field overall.
“Our defense a lot of times is our best offense, it gets us out running,” Sampson said.
#3: A struggle for BYU, especially taking care of the ball
BYU had their four game win streak snapped and could not get anything going inside the paint. Junior forward Richie Saunders only scored nine points as the Cougars shot just 37% from the field. The major issue for BYU was the 17 turnovers, which resulted in 24 points for Houston. This was UH’s second biggest win versus BYU in program history.
Head coach Kevin Young was surprised at the shot-making of Houston, but also said they’re as connected defensively as any team in the country.
Up next
Houston basketball: (10-3, 2-0): vs TCU Jan.6 at 8 p.m.
BYU basketball: (10-3, 1-1): vs Texas Tech Jan.7 at 8 p.m.
[…] Cougars are coming in on a high for its third game in eight days after a strong 31 point win over BYU on Saturday. This was the sixth straight win and sixth game where Houston held their opponent to […]