MENS BASKETBALL
Houston 70, West Virginia 54
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — J’Wan Roberts scored a season-high 22 points, L.J. Cryer added 18 and No. 10 Houston beat West Virginia 70-54 on Wednesday night for its ninth straight win. Roberts had 17 points in the first half on 8-of-10 shooting. Emanuel Sharp, who finished with 14 points, added 12 as Houston took a 40-27 lead into halftime. Houston (13-3, 5-0 Big 12) shot 49% overall and was 11 of 26 on 3-pointers in winning its 32nd straight home game. Amani Hansberry scored 16 points and Javon Small added 13 points and eight assists for West Virginia (12-4, 3-2). The Mountaineers shot 44% and were 9 of 22 on 3-pointers. After trailing 18-13, Houston used a 20-3 run to open a 12-point lead on Roberts' hook shot with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half. THE TAKEAWAY
West Virginia: Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring with 19.8 points per game, started 3 for 4 from the field — including three 3-pointers in the first six minutes as the Mountaineers built a five-point lead. But he went 1 for 7 the rest of the way and was scoreless in the second half as Houston pressured him. Houston: The Cougars improved to 1/3 in Quad 1 games this season. Houston could have at least another 10 opportunities for Quad 1 wins over its final 15 regular-season games. KEY MOMENT
West Virginia used a 12-2 run to cut Houston’s lead to 51-48, but the Cougars responded with a 14-0 spurt that started with a putback dunk by Ja’Vier Francis. The spree was capped by a 3 from Milos Uzan to give Houston a 17-point lead with seven minutes left. KEY STAT
The Cougars forced 12 turnovers and converted them into 25 points.
January 15, 2025