The Houston Cougars men's basketball team wins big over the USF Bulls, 79-60, in a game that seemed like it was over as soon as it started.
Houston opened up a 9-2 lead in the opening two minutes and went on to lead every minute of the first half. The Bulls would get within three points with just over 11 minutes before halftime, but that would just prompt an 11-1 scoring drive by the Cougars. Houston would lead by as much as 15 on more than one occasion, taking a nine point, 42-33 lead into the halftime break.
Nine Bulls got playing time in the first half, in the absence of Peyton Banks, who was out of the game due to illness. David Collins’ nine points led USF in the first half of play. Corey Davis Jr. would lead Houston with 11 points.
USF’s David Collins sank a jumper to start the second half and get the Bulls within seven. They would get no closer in the game. Houston quickly pushed their lead to double digits, with a 12-2 run. With just under six to go, the Cougars’ lead was 25, a game high.
Four Cougars scored in double digits for the win, Davis Jr.’s 15 points leading the way. Armoni Brooks scored 14, the next best scorer for Houston. A bright spot for USF was holding Rob Gray to just 11 points. Gray leads his team, averaging over 20 points per game.
Just three Bulls broke into double digit scoring tonight. The good news is that freshmen, Justin Brown and Collins scored 16 and 15 points respectively, leading USF in scoring. Both had career nights, a nod to the future for the team. As a team, USF hit just 32% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc. They were dominated in the paint, 30-18, by the Cougars.
Houston improves to 11-2 (1-0) on the season. They’ll host 7-5 (0-1)Temple in their next outing on 12/30.
USF drops to 7-7 and will have a tough road trip to SMU, who is 11-3 (1-0) and just outside of top 25 voting. The Mustangs have a 32 game winning streak, with their last win coming against USF neighbor, 9-4 UCF.