Houston’s senior guard L.J. Cryer (4) scores 18 points in the first Big 12 game of the season. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
The Cougars men’s basketball team defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 60-47 in the Gallagher-Iba Arena on Monday night.
Houston’s defense held Oklahoma State to 25.9% shooting and forced 14 turnovers to win their first Big 12 game of the season.
Senior forward J’wan Roberts made back-to-back buckets to spark Houston’s offense early in the first quarter.
Senior guard Brandon Newman hit a deep three to give Oklahoma State a 13-11 lead.
The Cowboys hit a jumper on the next possession to go on a 7-0 run.
Graduate forward Patrick Suemnick made a jumper to go up 17-11 with 10:24 left on the clock, which was the last field goal the Cowboys would make in the half.
Houston’s defense stepped up in the first half to hold Oklahoma State to a 22.2% field goal percentage and forced nine turnovers.
The Cougars ended the half on a 17-1 run to take a 28-18 halftime lead.
Junior guard Arturo Dean’s layup broke the Cowboy’s 13-minute field goal drought and splashed a three on the next possession to cut the lead to 10.
Senior guard L.J. Cryer scored 13 points in the second half to lead the Cougars to a victory over Oklahoma State.
The Cougars held Oklahoma State to 18 points under their season average and played strong defense to make up for their 12 turnovers.
Newman led the Cowboys in scoring with 12 points and shot 40% from behind the arc.
Junior forward Robert Jennings II followed in scoring with 10 points and also contributed five boards.
Houston’s seniors stepped up in their first Big 12 game of the season.
Roberts scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to record a double-double.
Cryer shot 50% from behind the arc and made four three-pointers to finish the game with 18 points.
Junior guard Milos Uzan orchestrated the offense comfortably tonight and managed 12 points, four assists and six rebounds.
With the victory, the Cougars improved to 9-3 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.
“It’s better to win than to look good,” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “It’s hard to win on the road in this league and this was a good win.”
Houston will return home to face off against the BYU Cougars on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.
