USF had no answer for Josh Carlton, as the senior center’s double-double powered No. 12 Houston past the Bulls 83-66 on Wednesday night in Tampa, Florida.
From the tip, Houston exerted its dominance in the paint led by Carlton, who scored 18 points and pulled down eight boards in the first half.
The Cougars pulled down nine offensive rebounds which led to eight second-chance points in the first half.
USF’s knocked down five first half 3-pointers, led by three from Javon Green, allowed the Bulls to keep step with the Cougars.
A stretch of seven consecutive makes late in the first half helped the Cougars take a 40-37 lead into the locker room.
The second half was all UH.
Coming out of the locker room, Carlton scored eight quick points and the Cougars’ lead reached double-digits less than four minutes into the second half.
The Cougars’ lead would not fall below the double-digit mark for the remainder of the game.
Carlton finished with a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds
Senior guard Kyler Edwards returned to the UH starting lineup after missing Sunday’s victory over Temple with an ankle injury and flirted with a triple-double, scoring 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists.
Senior forward Fabian White Jr. scored 15 and sophomore guard Jamal Shead added 13.