Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson and the team celebrate after an NCAA college men’s basketball game against La Salle on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 in Houston. | Gillian Wisniewski/The Cougar
The No. 10 Houston Cougars faced off against the La Salle Explorers and won 94-55. This is the first time they have faced off in history.
The Cougars started the first half with senior guard Dedan Thomas Jr. hitting a three-pointer to get Houston on the board first. This was followed up by a slam from senior forward Delrecco Gillespie after a missed three-pointer from La Salle.
The Explorers answered with a three-pointer from senior forward Anthony Finkley. However, the Cougars responded with a 14-0 run over five minutes and forced La Salle into a seven-minute scoring drought.
La Salle didn’t score until the 11-minute mark of the first half; however, Houston established a 20-6 lead.
After an offensive foul was committed by the Cougars, head coach Kelvin Sampson was assessed a technical foul, bringing the Explorers’ score to 19.
Houston didn’t let that affect them, as the Cougars still held a 14-point lead with three minutes left in the half. The Cougars ended their four-minute scoring drought with a layup from senior forward Joseph “JoJo” Tugler.
The first half ended with Houston up 43-23 against La Salle.
The second started the same way as the first: with Houston the ones to score first and dominant La Salle.
La Salle was not going down without a fight. Despite the early struggles in the first, the Explorers looked to mount a comeback, as they made multiple three-pointers and stalled out Houston’s offense a couple of times.
However, Houston kept churning its engine and dominated for the rest of the game, winning 94-55.
Thomas led the team with 16 points while junior guard Mercy Miller and Gillipsie tied with seven rebounds. Other player performances included senior guard Corey Hadnot II with 14 points and Diane with 10.
According to Houston Athletics, both teams combined for 46 fouls and three technicals. Houston scored 25 points off of turnovers while La Salle had 11.
The Cougars had a 54.4% shooting percentage, while La Salle was limited to half of that, having a percentage of 25.
In the post-game press conference, Sampson talked about the struggles with chemistry but a way to improve it.
“Chemistry is always a work in progress but one of the things that helps your team chemistry is your ability to evaluate when you recruit,” Sampson said.
Houston becomes 1-0 after a strong win against La Salle and looks to go 2-0 on Wednesday, Nov. 11, against Jacksonville State.
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