UH blasts past Cincinnati in 38-point rout

Houston snapped Cincinnati’s win streak thanks to an offensive surge late in the first half, which lifted the Cougars way over the competition in a 90-52  victory on Sunday at Fertitta Center.

Right away, the Cougars (18-3, 12-3 American Athletic Conference) got things going with a three from junior guard Quentin Grimes after 22 seconds of play. He went on to give UH its first six points and ended with 20 points and eight rebounds.

But the Bearcats wouldn’t let it go unanswered, as Cincinnati (7-8, 5-5 AAC) led 13-8 after going 3-for-3 from behind the arc.

A couple of turnovers in a row from the Bearcats gave the Cougars a one-point edge. But neither team could create much space on the scoreboard until UH went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by senior guard Dejon Jarreau’s fastbreak dunk, which sparked some momentum for the Cougars.

Jarreau went on to record 11 points, along with five boards.

Freshman guard Tramon Mark, who tallied 12 points and six rebounds, added four-straight points to add more fuel to the offensive onslaught.

Then senior forward Fabian White Jr., in his second game back from an ACL injury. UH’s bench erupted. He ended with a near double-double of 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Cougars kept it rolling, extending its run to 17-2 to lead 35-21.

Jarreau’s and-one made it a 20-point game. By the end of the half, UH was up 50-26.

By this point, the Cougars put up a perfect 16-16 record from the free-throw line, compared to going 5-11 on the night against Wichita State last Thursday.

The second half was no different, as the UH basketball team kept its pace up, with Cincinnati struggling to keep up.

Grimes started heating up again with two threes, followed by one from senior forward Justin Gorham to extend the lead to 63-29.

Sophomore guard Marcus Sasser snuck in to add two of his own step-back 3-pointers for a 41-point game.

UH controlled the court to cruise to a 38-point win.

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