Houston Cougars forward Ja’Vier Francis (5) puts his hands up as the ball rolls out of bounds during the first half of an NCAA men’s college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
No. 14 Houston men’s basketball defeated BYU 86-55 for its 30th straight win inside the Fertitta Center behind a season-high 16 made 3-pointers.
The team shot 47% from 3-point range as redshirt sophomore guard Terrance Arceneaux and redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp both scored 12 points from beyond the arc.
Sharp led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points, despite spending the week nursing what coach Kelvin Sampson described as a “nasty” foot injury and recording a season-low two points in the conference opener on Dec. 30.
Houston dominated the rebounding battle 37-24. Graduate forward J’Wan Roberts and Arceneaux grabbed six rebounds a piece, while senior forward Ja’Vier Francis contributed five rebounds and three blocks.
The Cougars’ defense ignited the attack as they forced 10 BYU turnovers before the half where they held a 39-22 lead.
“This is always going to be a defense-first and rebound program, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t trying to score points,” Sampson said.
Houston carried its momentum into the second half and bolstered its lead up to 34 points.
The Cougars held junior forward Richie Saunders BYU’s leading scorer on the season to nine points, while graduate guard Trevin Knell led BYU with 12 on the afternoon.
Houston is now 10-3 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
Next, Houston will welcome TCU to Fertitta Center on Monday, Jan. 6 at 8:00 p.m.
