Houston guard Mylik Wilson (8) dribbles the ball while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi guard Damarion Dennis (5) flanks his approach during the second half of an NCAA college Men’s Basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston basketball cruised to an 87-51 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Saturday at the Fertitta Center.
With the victory, the Cougars collected their 100th win inside the arena and their 29th consecutive.
Houston jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with back-to-back three-pointers from graduate guard L.J. Cryer and redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp.
A 3-pointer by freshman guard Damarion Dennis brought the Islanders within three points of the Cougars, which was as close as the game got.
Eight Houston 3-pointers made propelled the Cougars to a 46-27 halftime lead.
In the first seven minutes of the second half, UH picked up where they left off and rattled in four more three-point jumpers.
It was all Houston in the second half. They extended their lead by as many as 42 points and won the game 87-51.
Off the bench, graduate forward Ja’Vier Francis and Jojo Tugler each recorded four blocks while graduate guard Mylik Wilson tallied 11 rebounds.
“I’m just trying to go in and be a rebounding player just like coach Sampson said. The rebounds got me going tonight,” Wilson said.
Sharp led all scorers with 18 points and also added two assists and Cryer followed with 17 points and five three-point jumpers.
Junior guard Milos Uzan finished with 12 points on 80% shooting. He also led the team with six assists.
Sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux made his first start of the season and contributed 13 points, three assists and five rebounds. He started in place of graduate forward J’Wan Roberts who is day to day with a leg injury.
With the win, the Cougars now are 8-3 on the season and remain undefeated at home.
Houston now prepares for their Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State on Dec. 30 at the Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“We are what we are right now, our team is going to continue to improve. We’re nowhere close to playing our best basketball,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Look how good we were today at times while not having J’Wan.”
