Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, leading the way for the Cougars in No. 21 Houston’s 64-57 win over Memphis on Sunday at Fertitta Center. | Mikol Kindle Jr./The Cougar
Prior to No. 21 UH’s rematch against Memphis, Houston’s social media accounts wanted to make sure senior Chris Harris Jr. was sent “out with a dub” in his final home game on Sunday at Fertitta Center.
Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes, who scored 15 second-half points, and the Cougars delivered, lifting Houston to a 64-57 victory in its regular-season finale.
With the win, Houston improves to 23-8, and if Tulsa loses at Wichita State on Sunday, the Cougars will set their sights on the American Athletic Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed and a share of the AAC regular season title.
Both teams started the game poorly, shooting a combined 10 of 64 in the first 20 minutes.
The Cougars and Tigers quietly went into the locker room with Memphis leading 30-26 behind freshman forward Precious Achiuwa’s 16 first-half points.
Much like the game’s opening, Houston’s started the second half slow.
It wasn’t until Hinton’s go-ahead jumper at the 15:05 mark in the second half that Houston would take back the lead, albeit briefly with Achiuwa carrying the Tigers.
Houston took back the lead for good midway through the second half with less than 10 minutes to play in the marquee matchup.
With 9:24 to play, Grimes, who scored just two points of 1-of-4 shooting in the first half, broke free of his slump and lit up Memphis’s defense.
The sophomore began his rally with a shot from deep, Houston’s first 3-pointer of the game, and continued with a series of long balls and jumpers to help extend the Cougars’ lead to as much as 15.
From there, it was smooth sailing for Grimes and the Cougars.
Grimes, in his final regular season game of his first year with the Cougars, finished with 17 points, three rebounds and an assist.
In the front court, junior forward Fabian White Jr. dominated, earning his third double-double of the year by finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Houston finished its regular season at 14-2 inside Fertitta Center.
