Friday, November 12
Houston
7 p.m.
University of Houston
79
vs
46
Rice
Men's Basketball Rolls to Friday Win over Rice
11/12/2021 10:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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Guard Marcus Sasser leads all with 26 pts; Guard Kyler Edwards pours in 18 pts with 6 rebs
HOUSTON (AP) – University of Houston junior guard Marcus Sasser scored 26 points, and senior guard Kyler Edwards added 18 points and six rebounds, as the 15th-ranked Cougars routed Rice, 79-45, on Friday inside the Fertitta Center.
Sasser finished 8 of 16 from the field and connected on 5 of 9 on 3-pointers as the Cougars (2-0) jumped out to a 44-15 halftime lead. Sasser scored 16 points in the first half.
''Marcus, Taze (Moore) and Kyler, the more they play together, the better they will get,'' Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''It's just our second game. We're going to get better as we go, and we're going to need to. We had a good game tonight, obviously. Guarding Rice's actions, we knew what to do there, but that's a credit to our staff.''
Houston forced Rice (1-1) into 20 turnovers, which the Cougars turned into 34 points. The Cougars shot 41% and were 10 of 30 on 3-pointers in extending their home winning streak to 27 games.
''You saw our culture come into play tonight,'' Sampson said. ''How hard we play, our defense, our toughness, our rebounding.''
Travis Evee scored 11 points and Cameron Sheffield had 10 points to lead Rice. The Owls struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 5 of 25, including 3 of 17 on 3-pointers. Rice shot 28% and made 8 of 31 3-pointers overall.
''They were well-prepared, ready to play,'' Rice coach Scott Pera said. ''They got us early. We couldn't dig out of the hole. Against good teams on the road, that's hard to do. I thought they shot it well. They did what they do defensively. They really pushed us out high on the floor, made our catches high and shots really quick.
''I thought that would be the game plan, and I thought we would have handled it better, having some veteran guards. They didn't handle it like I had hoped, obviously, and things got away from us, and then it got ugly.''
Houston used runs of 8-0, 14-0 and 9-0 to open up a 37-10 lead on a 3-pointer by Sasser with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
BIG PICTURE
Rice: The Owls have lost 25 straight games against ranked opponents and fell to 2-50 on the road against foes in the AP Top 25. Rice, which was picked to finish eighth in Conference USA, was overmatched, especially inside.
''They pretty much did what they wanted to do all night,'' Pera said. ''We didn't have much resistance. We didn't have much attack on offense to get what we wanted. When things snowball like that against a good team . we couldn't handle the punches early and the knockout was early.''
Houston: The Cougars took care of the ball, committing seven turnovers, and held a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint. Houston had a 42-39 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive rebounds, and finished with six blocks and 13 steals.
''We work on guarding actions,'' Sampson said. ''We just executed the game plan flawlessly. We frustrated them. They couldn't get into the paint with the dribble.''
SERIES HISTORY
Houston improved to 64-18 in the series with the crosstown Owls and has won the last seven.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Sampson moved past Gary Williams into 37th place in NCAA history with 668 victories.
BUY 2021-22 TICKETS
To purchase single-game tickets, fans may click here anytime or call 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours.
HOOP HYPE XL TICKETS
Fans also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the Cougars' Dec. 18 game against rv/rv Oklahoma State inside Dickies Arena in the Hoop Hype XL | College Basketball Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
That game will be part of a doubleheader with Colorado State facing Tulsa at 2:30 p.m., Dec. 18. Tickets – which cover both games – begin at $70 plus fees with options for floor seating. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets soon before supplies run out.
To purchase Hoop Hype XL tickets, fans can click here anytime or call the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-462-6647 during regular business hours.
2022-23 SEASON TICKETS PRIORITY WAIT LIST
Fans who were unable to secure 2021-22 season tickets may start preparing for next season by putting down a $75 deposit and placing their names on the 2022-23 Men's Basketball Season Ticket Priority Wait List by clicking here.
UP NEXT
• Houston wraps up its homestand when it faces No. 25/25 Virginia at 7 p.m., Tuesday, inside the Fertitta Center.
• That game features two of the nation's Top-Three winningest teams since 2017-18... Cougars (112) and Cavaliers (107) trail only Gonzaga (128) during that stretch.
• Game will be shown on ESPN and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.
• From there, the Cougars hit the road for the first time in 2021-22 to compete at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Las Vegas on Nov. 22-24. Houston opens that tournament at 3:30 p.m. (CST) Nov. 22 against Butler inside Michelob ULTRA Arena.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
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, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
Sasser finished 8 of 16 from the field and connected on 5 of 9 on 3-pointers as the Cougars (2-0) jumped out to a 44-15 halftime lead. Sasser scored 16 points in the first half.
''Marcus, Taze (Moore) and Kyler, the more they play together, the better they will get,'' Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''It's just our second game. We're going to get better as we go, and we're going to need to. We had a good game tonight, obviously. Guarding Rice's actions, we knew what to do there, but that's a credit to our staff.''
Houston forced Rice (1-1) into 20 turnovers, which the Cougars turned into 34 points. The Cougars shot 41% and were 10 of 30 on 3-pointers in extending their home winning streak to 27 games.
''You saw our culture come into play tonight,'' Sampson said. ''How hard we play, our defense, our toughness, our rebounding.''
Travis Evee scored 11 points and Cameron Sheffield had 10 points to lead Rice. The Owls struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 5 of 25, including 3 of 17 on 3-pointers. Rice shot 28% and made 8 of 31 3-pointers overall.
''They were well-prepared, ready to play,'' Rice coach Scott Pera said. ''They got us early. We couldn't dig out of the hole. Against good teams on the road, that's hard to do. I thought they shot it well. They did what they do defensively. They really pushed us out high on the floor, made our catches high and shots really quick.
''I thought that would be the game plan, and I thought we would have handled it better, having some veteran guards. They didn't handle it like I had hoped, obviously, and things got away from us, and then it got ugly.''
Houston used runs of 8-0, 14-0 and 9-0 to open up a 37-10 lead on a 3-pointer by Sasser with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
BIG PICTURE
Rice: The Owls have lost 25 straight games against ranked opponents and fell to 2-50 on the road against foes in the AP Top 25. Rice, which was picked to finish eighth in Conference USA, was overmatched, especially inside.
''They pretty much did what they wanted to do all night,'' Pera said. ''We didn't have much resistance. We didn't have much attack on offense to get what we wanted. When things snowball like that against a good team . we couldn't handle the punches early and the knockout was early.''
Houston: The Cougars took care of the ball, committing seven turnovers, and held a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint. Houston had a 42-39 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive rebounds, and finished with six blocks and 13 steals.
''We work on guarding actions,'' Sampson said. ''We just executed the game plan flawlessly. We frustrated them. They couldn't get into the paint with the dribble.''
SERIES HISTORY
Houston improved to 64-18 in the series with the crosstown Owls and has won the last seven.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Sampson moved past Gary Williams into 37th place in NCAA history with 668 victories.
BUY 2021-22 TICKETS
To purchase single-game tickets, fans may click here anytime or call 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours.
HOOP HYPE XL TICKETS
Fans also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the Cougars' Dec. 18 game against rv/rv Oklahoma State inside Dickies Arena in the Hoop Hype XL | College Basketball Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
That game will be part of a doubleheader with Colorado State facing Tulsa at 2:30 p.m., Dec. 18. Tickets – which cover both games – begin at $70 plus fees with options for floor seating. Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets soon before supplies run out.
To purchase Hoop Hype XL tickets, fans can click here anytime or call the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-462-6647 during regular business hours.
2022-23 SEASON TICKETS PRIORITY WAIT LIST
Fans who were unable to secure 2021-22 season tickets may start preparing for next season by putting down a $75 deposit and placing their names on the 2022-23 Men's Basketball Season Ticket Priority Wait List by clicking here.
UP NEXT
• Houston wraps up its homestand when it faces No. 25/25 Virginia at 7 p.m., Tuesday, inside the Fertitta Center.
• That game features two of the nation's Top-Three winningest teams since 2017-18... Cougars (112) and Cavaliers (107) trail only Gonzaga (128) during that stretch.
• Game will be shown on ESPN and can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.
• From there, the Cougars hit the road for the first time in 2021-22 to compete at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Las Vegas on Nov. 22-24. Houston opens that tournament at 3:30 p.m. (CST) Nov. 22 against Butler inside Michelob ULTRA Arena.
JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
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, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.
For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (46874).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
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