Men's Basketball Sports

UH defeats Rice in first basketball meeting since 2013

Senior Corey Davis Jr. had 18 points and six assists in the rivalry game. | Jackson Gatlin/The Cougar

Men’s basketball is now 2-0 in the young season after it outgunned the Rice Owls in a 79-68 victory.

The Cougars held a comfortable lead for much of the contest until the Owls went on an 8-0 run near the end of the game to make the final tally more respectable.

Junior guard Armoni Brooks was excellent again and went 8-for-14 to score 20 points along with five rebounds.

His offensive explosion in the first half, where he scored 17 points, provided significant momentum for the Cougars heading into halftime.

Freshman guard Nate Hinton provided a much-needed spark off the bench for Houston. He scored all 15 of the Cougars’ bench points with 5-of-9 shooting and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Senior guards Corey Davis Jr. and Galen Robinson Jr. each dished out six assists while finishing with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

Statistically, Houston and Rice were close across the board in every category except for one: fast break scoring. Houston outscored Rice by a resounding 26-0 on fast breaks.

The Cougars not only made it a point to get out and score in transition but also to get back on defense quickly and prevent any transition buckets for the Owls.

Had Rice successfully prevented even just half of those points, Houston might be the team thinking about a loss against a cross-town rival.

With another successful game in the books, Houston will look to continue adding to the win column as the team hosts Northwestern State at 7 p.m. Monday at H&PE Arena.

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