Jarace Walker posted his first-career double-double, scoring 12 points to go along with 10 boards, as No. 1 UH defeated North Florida 76-42 on Tuesday night in the Cougars’ final tune up before Saturday’s much-anticipated rematch with No. 8 Alabama.
Marcus Sasser, who became the 50th Cougar in program history to score 1,000 career points after hitting his first two 3-pointers of the night, left the game with 12 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the first half with a left eye laceration.
Sasser had his eye stitched up but did not return to the court, finishing with 12 points, all of which came in the first seven minutes of action.
Coming off recent struggles, UH head coach Kelvin Sampson was proud of the way Walker, the five-star freshman, responded against the Ospreys.
“Jarace has been knocked down this year, but he keeps getting up,” Sampson said. “The first step on the ladder to success is always failure.”
Sophomore forward Ja’Vier Francis finished with a game-high 14 points off the bench.
Redshirt sophomore guard Tramon Mark had 10 points.
Freshman guard Emanuel Sharp, who didn’t see action in the Cougars’ win over St. Mary’s, hit three 3-pointers in 19 minutes off the bench.
“Any time I get Emanuel minutes like I did tonight, it’s an investment in our future,” Sampson said.
UH never trailed throughout the duration of the game.
Now, UH (9-0) fixes its eyes towards Alabama (7-1) in what will be the first top-10 matchup in Fertitta Center history on Saturday afternoon.