
Houston guard L.J. Cryer (4) catches the ball in the air over Utah guard Gabe Madsen during the first half of an NCAA college Men’s basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Utah may have been better prepared for the Houston freeze that delayed Wednesday’s game, but they were frozen on the Fertitta Center court as No. 7 Houston men’s basketball’s defense held the Utes to a season-low in a 70-36 win.
Houston’s defense shuts down Utah
The Utes offense also set a season-low total. Before tonight’s game, Utah’s lowest scoring total was in the 81-56 loss to No. 25 Baylor earlier this season.
Houston reduced their season-low total by 20 points by forcing 26 turnovers and not giving up easy baskets all night.
“They are a team that can win it all,” Utah’s coach Craig Smith said of Houston, who has won eleven straight and 33 straight on its home floor.
It was smooth sailing for Houston from the start. To begin the game, sophomore forward Joseph Tugler established himself down low early, scoring Houston’s first four points.
With just under 16 minutes on the clock graduate guard, L.J. Cryer downed a jumper to kick off an 18-0 scoring run for Houston.
Utah’s sophomore forward Keanu Dawes ended the run, but by then, the score was 26-8.
The Utes found some rhythm offensively with back-to-back 3-point jumpers by senior guard Gabe Madsen and sophomore guard Miro Little to cut the lead to 15.
Senior forward Ja’Vier Francis made back-to-back layups with good footwork to give the Cougars a 41-17 halftime lead.
Houston shot 51% from the field in the first half and held Utah to just 17 points on 30% shooting.
The Cougars’ strong defense forced 14 turnovers, leading to 19 points at the half.
Houston opened up the second half with a 12-0 run with Roberts and redshirt sophomore Terrance Arceneaux both sinking two jumpers in the span.
A 3-point jumper by Little ended a 7:23 scoring drought for the Utes and was their first points of the half.
Houston took control in the second half and played multiple players off the bench to cruise to a 70-36 victory over Utah.
Standout performances and looking ahead
The difference in the game was UH’s ability to take care of the basketball with only four turnovers.
They also took advantage of Utah’s mistakes by scoring 29 points on turnovers.
The Cougars’ defense proved too much for Utah, as they recorded 19 steals and 11 blocks in the game.
Utah’s Madsen led the team in scoring with eight points including two made 3-point jumpers.
Dawes played big minutes off the bench for the Utes and ended the game with seven points and nine rebounds.
Junior guard Milos Uzan was named player of the game and led all scorers with 14 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting. He also tallied five assists and one steal.
Cryer followed in scoring with 13 points and went 3-4 from behind the arc.
Roberts scored 11 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in the limited minutes he played tonight.
Tugler had a monster game defensively with four blocks and two steals.
Redshirt junior guard Emanuel Sharp, was absent from the starting lineup amid an ankle sprain.
With the victory, the Cougars move to 15-3 overall and remain at the top of the conference with a perfect 7-0 record.
Next up, the Cougars head to Lawrence, Kan., to take on the No. 12 Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Allen Fieldhouse.