|
 Devonta Pollard recorded his fourth double-double in his last
five games with 17 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late
for Houston (5-1), which began a stretch in which it will play five
games in eight days after playing that many over the first 32 days
of the season. Danrad Knowles added 12 points as the Cougars
finished 9-of-28 beyond the arc and have made at least eight
3-pointers in every game this season.
Anthony Odunsi led the way with 18 points for Houston Baptist (4-4),
which nearly knocked off its second city school in two weeks after
winning at Rice on Dec. 3. Josh Ibarra tallied a career-high 14
points and seven boards off the bench while Colter Lasher chipped in
with 12 points.
 Houston led by as many as nine points in the opening 20 minutes as
the Cougars connected on three of their first six 3-point attempts,
but a 2-of-11 finish beyond the arc prior to intermission opened the
door for Houston Baptist, which scored 23 of the final 33 points of
the first half to take a four-point lead. The Cougars knocked down
their first three 3-pointers of the second half to quickly stretch
the margin to eight before the first media timeout.
Behind 11 straight points from Stiggers – including a three-point
play and two 3-pointers – the Cougars jumped back ahead 51-49 while
another triple and four free throws from Stiggers following a pair
of technical fouls allowed Houston to stem the tide. The Huskies
managed to tie it twice down the stretch, but could not get over the
hump despite 5-of-12 shooting from the foul line by Houston over the
final 3 ½ minutes.
[to top of second column] |
GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston Baptist G Tyler Russell was assessed two
technical fouls and ejected with 10:24 remaining for criticizing an
official following a play in which Stiggers and Huskies F Alex
Fountain got tangled up following a 3-pointer from Stiggers. Pollard
was also given a technical. … The Cougars have yet to lose in 12
meetings with the Huskies, representing the most wins they have
without a loss against any opponent. … Seventeen of Houston’s 28
first-half field-goal attempts came from behind the 3-point line,
resulting in a 32.1-percent effort from the field. The Cougars
focused on driving the ball much more in the second half and shot
59.1 percent.
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