MENS BASKETBALL

Houston 75, Brigham Young 68

JOHN COON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

PROVO, Utah - L.J. Cryer scored 23 points to lead No. 4 Houston to a 75-68 victory over No. 21 BYU.

Jamal Shead chipped in 16 points and Damian Dunn added 10 for the Houston (17-2, 4-2 Big 12), who scored 17 points off 13 BYU turnovers and finished with a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.

Noah Waterman led BYU with 17 points while Jaxson Robinson added 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting. BYU (14-5, 2-4) outscored Houston 28-22 in the paint and 13-7 in fastbreak points but only shot 29% from 3-point range.

BYU trailed most of the second half until tying it at 68 on Waterman’s 3-pointer with 2:15 left. Trevin Knell missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining.

Cryer and Shead combined to make six free throws in the final minute to help Houston stave off the comeback. Houston did not score any baskets over the final four minutes.

BYU made six straight baskets to fuel a 14-4 run midway through the first half. Richie Saunders capped the run by powering to the rim for a layup for a 25-20 lead.

Houston held BYU to a single basket over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first half and took a 41-34 halftime lead. Shead bookended an 11-2 run with a go-ahead 3-pointer and a layup to put Houston in front.

Houston pushed the lead to double digits after halftime. After Knell capped a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer to bring BYU within three, Houston countered with an 10-0 spurt punctuated by a jumper from Dunn to extend its lead to 56-43. BYU missed five straight shots and committed four turnovers over a 3 1/2-minute stretch to open a door for Houston to take control.

BYU got back in the game behind a 12-2 run and cut the deficit to 61-58 on a reverse layup from Robinson.

BIG PICTURE

Houston became the first Big 12 team to lead BYU at halftime this season by crashing the glass for offensive rebounds and pressuring passing lanes to force turnovers.

BYU found success in attacking the rim but settled for deep 3-pointers on far too many possessions.

Houston athletics press release

January 23, 2024