Emanuel Sharp scored a game-high 17 points and No. 3 Houston forced 27 turnovers while cruising to a 72-37 home victory over Texas State on Thursday.
Sharp shot just 2-for-10 from the floor but finished 11-for-11 from the free-throw line for the Cougars (12-0).
Ja’Vier Francis added 13 points and five rebounds while Jamal Shead chipped in 11 points for the Cougars, who played their first game without Terrance Arceneaux (Achilles surgery) and the second half without leading rebounder J’Wan Roberts, who aggravated a knee injury in the first half.
Houston excelled despite the injury losses, scoring 27 points off the Bobcats’ turnovers.
The Cougars also held Texas State (6-6) without a field goal for the first seven minutes the second half before Bobcats guard Jordan Mason sank a jumper that sliced the deficit to 49-24. That concluded a span of just over 10 minutes without a field goal for the Bobcats, who shot 28.9 percent from the floor.
The start of the second half was a repeat of the start of the first for the Bobcats, who didn’t record their first points until Kaden Gumbs’ driving layup at the 14:06 mark cut the Cougars’ lead to 10-2.
Houston endured its own shooting woes throughout the first half, missing eight consecutive shots during one stretch. That hindered the Cougars’ ability to take advantage of Texas State posting nearly as many turnovers (eight) as field goals (nine) by the 10-minute mark of the half.
Texas State found a bit of rhythm moments later, converting 4 of 5 shots to close to within 18-14 on a Dylan Dawson 3-pointer with 6:19 left. But Houston responded with an 11-4 run that closed the half, securing a 29-18 lead at the intermission. L.J. Cryer scored all seven of his first-half points down the stretch, matching Sharpe for top scoring honors before the break.
The Bobcats missed 13 of 20 shots (35 percent) in the first half and committed 16 turnovers that Houston converted into 15 points. The Cougars recorded 10 steals, offsetting their 10-of-27 shooting (37 percent).
Gumbs paced Texas State with seven first-half points.
Mason, the Bobcats’ leading scorer on the season, finished the night with six points on 3-for-7 shooting. He had four fouls and four turnovers.
–Field Level Media