MENS BASKETBALL

Houston 82, Texas 61

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON - L.J. Cryer scored a season-high 26 points, Jamal Shead had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 3 Houston beat Texas 82-61 for the Cougars’ third straight win.

Cryer and Shead combined to score 23 first half points on 8-of-15 shooting as Houston (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) built a 40-27 halftime lead. The duo combined to shoot 15 of 24 from the field. Cryer was 6 of 9 on 3-pointers.

Houston, which has won 19 straight home games, was a No. 1 seed and the third overall team in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s reveal of the potential top 16 teams earlier Saturday.

Houston remain tied atop the Big 12 with No. 10 Iowa State with six regular season games remaining. The Cougars and Cyclones play on Monday night.

Dylan Disu had 16 points and seven rebounds and Chendall Weaver added 11 points for Texas (16-9, 5-7). Longhorns’ leading scorer Max Abmas was held to seven points on 2-of-14 shooting. The Longhorns shot 38.6%.

Emanuel Sharp scored 15 points for Houston, which shot 46.8%. The Cougars owned a 45-34 advantage in rebounding and turned 14 turnovers into 19 points.

BIG PICTURE

Texas: The Longhorns missed a chance for a marquee win, falling to 4-7 in Quad 1 games and 3-6 against ranked teams this season.

Houston: The Cougars improved to 10-3 in Quads 1 and 2 games. … Free-throw shooting remains an area of concern for Houston, which went 16 of 26 from the line.

Houston athletics press release

February 17, 2024