Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes scored 14 in Houston’s dismantling of Wichita State in a 76-43 win Sunday at Fertitta Center. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar
It took a week and some change, but No. 25 Houston is back on top of the American Athletic Conference after the Cougars completed their season sweep of the Wichita State Shockers with a 76-43 dismantling at Fertitta Center.
Houston, now 18-5 and 9-2 in conference play, fell in the standings after Feb. 1’s loss at Cincinnati but took a one-game lead in The American after the Bearcats fell to the UConn Huskies 72-71 on Sunday.
The Cougars began the afternoon on a roll, with freshman guard Marcus Sasser knocking one down from behind the arc for Houston’s first points of the game.
From then on, Houston kept Wichita State at bay for most of the opening half, going on a 10-0 run highlighted by a Caleb Mills block and 3-pointer that kept the Shockers scoreless for a five-minute stretch midway through the first.
Another successful run before heading into the locker room led the Cougars to a 38-18 lead at halftime.
Although the Shockers improved in the second half, outscoring their first-half box score 25-18, they had no answer to Houston’s offense or defense.
Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes quietly tallied 14 points in the win along with six rebounds and five assists.
Fellow sophomore guard Nate Hinton also played a complete game for Houston, finishing with 10 points and one rebound shy from his second double-double in a row after his performance in the Cougars’ win over the Tulane Green Wave on Thursday.
Five Cougars scored in double digits in the game, with Sasser, Mills, Grimes, Hinton and sophomore guard DeJobn Jarreau all scoring at least 10 for Houston.
