LJ Cryer scored 18 points and Jamal Shead chipped in 16 points as No. 6 Houston cruised past Dayton 69-55 on Sunday night to win the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.
The Cougars (6-0) shot 40 percent (8 of 20) from 3-point range, had 17 offensive rebounds and only seven turnovers. J’Wan Roberts contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, while Ja’Vier Francis contributed nine rebounds.
The Flyers (3-2), who knocked off LSU and St. John’s earlier in the event, missed 14 of their 18 3-pointers in this one. DaRon Holmes led the team with 16 points and Nate Santos had 14. Kobe Elvis chipped in nine assists.
Javon Bennett was among those who struggled for Dayton, finishing with two points on 1-of-10 shooting and missing all seven from long range.
Cryer (13 points) and Shead (12) each shot 5 of 9 from the field in the first half, helping Houston to a 36-28 lead at the break.
Shead scored seven early points as the Cougars jumped out to a 14-4 lead. The Flyers crawled within 19-15 before Shead scored five points during a 7-0 run that extended the lead back to 11.
Houston still led by double digits until the waning seconds of the half, when Santos made a jumper to get Dayton within eight at the break.
Shead’s jumper 3 1/2 minutes into the second half gave Houston its first 15-point lead. Emanuel Sharp’s jumper extended the lead to 52-32 with just under 13 minutes to go.
Down the stretch, Dayton got the deficit down to 14 on several occasions, but Houston had an answer each time.
The Cougars didn’t make a field goal in the final three minutes.
Shead finished 7 of 13 from the field with six rebounds and four assists, while Cryer made 4 of 8 from beyond the arc and 6 of 14 shots overall.
–Field Level Media