Graduate forward Josh Carlton’s double-double led the way for the Cougars against UCF. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar
Led by graduate forward Josh Carlton’s double-double, the UH men’s basketball team remained perfect in conference play after taking down UCF 63-49 on the road on Saturday.
The Cougars now improve to 18-2 overall and 7-0 in conference play, creating some distance at the top of the American Athletic Conference standings.
UCF came out firing from the jump with an 11-2 run including three 3-pointers, while UH shot 0-for-6 from the field in the opening 5:30 of the game.
Following a media timeout, the Cougars immediately responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 11-9 with 12:28 remaining in the half.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by senior guard Kyler Edwards extended the run to 13-4 to even the score at 15-15 midway through the first half.
After consecutive scores in the paint by the Knights, the Cougars sparked a 13-0 run to pull away 28-19 in 3:51 heading into the final minutes of the half.
Despite the early dominant start for UCF, UH capitalized on eight first-half turnovers by the Knights while also bouncing back from a shooting slump to lead 34-23 heading into halftime.
Edwards led all scorers at the break with 13 points on 4-for-8 from behind the arc including a four-point play, along with three rebounds.
After UCF outrebounded UH 7-2 early on, both teams were even on the glass with 17 rebounds each to end the half.
To start the second half, the Cougars jumped on an early 6-2 run to extend their lead by 15.
UCF flipped a switch and answered with a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to 42-39 nearing the midway point of the second half.
The Cougars maintained their composure and halted the Knights’ run, extending the lead back to eight.
Heading down the stretch, the Cougars broke through in traditional manner through rebounds, possession and big shots, as graduate guard Taze Moore hit two 3-pointers late to give the Cougars an 11-point lead at 57-46.
As the clock ticked down, UCF struggled to spark a comeback as UH closed out a 63-49 victory after a slow start to the first half.
Edwards led the Cougars in scoring with 17 points along with seven rebounds and four assists, while Carlton recorded 13 points and 15 rebounds in his performance.
