It was another display of total dominance for the UH men’s basketball squad Monday night as the third-ranked Cougars dismantled Oral Roberts in a 83-45 win in the first leg of the Cougar Classic.
It was a sloppy start to the game as UH committed four fouls in the first five minutes, but jumped out to a 13-6 lead nonetheless with the help of two baskets each from junior forward J’Wan Roberts and junior guard Tramon Mark.
The Cougars’ suffocating defense allowed them to extend the lead to 29-8 midway through the first half, ultimately holding Oral Roberts without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.
Mark and senior guard Marcus Sasser led the way on offense during the span to drive a 28-4 run and later a 40-16 lead with just over five minutes left in the half.
A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sasser gave UH a 51-24 lead heading into the locker room as he and Mark combined for 34 points in the first half.
The Cougars owned the glass in the first half, outrebounding Oral Roberts 28-12 in the first 20 minutes.
Sasser and Mark picked up right where they left off in the second half, combining for the team’s first eight points as UH entered the final 14 minutes with a 59-34 lead.
Freshman guard Terrance Arceneaux would then score the Cougars’ next eight points on his own over the next seven minutes, reaching double-digit points for the first time in his career finishing with 14.
The Cougars would cruise the rest of the way securing the win and improving to 3-0 on the season.
Mark finished the game with a career-high 23 points on 8-12 shooting, while Sasser contributed 19 points of his own.
UH held Oral Roberts to just 14/62 from the field and won the rebounding margin 52-30.