UH guard Marcus Sasser (0) gets past Wichita State’s Alterique Gilbert on Jan. 6, 2021 at Fertitta Center. | Andy Yanez/The Cougar
No. 11 Houston, behind sophomore guard Marcus Sasser and his sharpshooting display, took care of Tulane, defeating them 71-50 on Saturday afternoon at Fertitta Center.
The Cougars (10-1, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) created separation from the Green Wave (6-3, 1-3 AAC) when the clock went under the seven-minute mark in the first half.
Sasser hit one of his six first-half 3-pointers on a step-back jumper that sparked a 7-0 run for UH and gave it its first double-digit lead of the game. He finished the contest with 28 points.
The Red Oak native had 20 points at halftime, which was the first time a UH player had reached that benchmark since 2019 when junior guard Quentin Grimes did it against Georgia Tech. The Cougars led 37-25 at the break.
In the second half, UH tried to keep feeding the hot hand, but Sasser opened the period missing his first four 3-pointers. Despite the initial struggles, he knocked down a couple of more shots from behind the arc, which set a Fertitta Center record for most 3-pointers.
Sasser’s eight 3-pointers against the Green Wave was one shy of the all-time program record for 3-pointers made in a single game.
The Cougars did an excellent job of tracking down their own misses as they garnered five offensive rebounds in the first 15 minutes of the second half, which led to six second-chance points. They had 16 offensive boards for the entire game.
Grimes picked up the 3-point scoring load after halftime, hitting his first two 3-pointers, and finishing with three total in the second half. He finished the game with 14 points and three rebounds. UH as a team set a new season-high in 3-pointers with 15 made baskets.
Senior forward Justin Gorham led the team with 11 rebounds.
