No. 3 Houston blasts Texas to earn regular-season sweep
Feb 17, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dillon Mitchell (23) defends against Houston Cougars guard Mylik Wilson (8) during the first half at Fertitta Center. credits: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports L.J. Cryer drilled six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 26 points while Jamal Shead added 16 points as the third-ranked Houston Cougars rolled to a 82-61 home win over the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.
The Cougars (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) extended their homecourt winning streak to 19 games while capping the season sweep of the Longhorns (16-9, 5-7). Houston did so behind the shooting of its senior starting backcourt, as Cryer and Shead combined to connect on 15 of 24 field goals.
Shead added 11 rebounds, six assists, six steals and two blocked shots to his ledger.
Houston, as usual, rode its defense to victory, seizing upon a Texas shooting slump that started down the stretch of the first half and extended into the second. The Longhorns missed 16 of 20 shots during a span that saw the Cougars score the final six points of the first half before Shead and Cryer drilled second-half 3-pointers for a 46-27 lead. Dylan Disu ended the drought with a fadeaway.
Disu paired 16 points with seven rebounds for the Longhorns, who shot 38.6% and finished with a minus-11 rebounding margin. Texas guard Max Abmas, who entered play averaging a team-high 17.7 points, scored seven points on 2-for-14 shooting including 1 of 5 on 3-pointers.
Houston led wire to wire. Shead and Emanuel Sharp (15 points) combined for eight early points as the Cougars took a 12-7 into the first media timeout. Texas clawed back and pulled even at 17-17 when Tyrese Hunter sank a 3-pointer at the 11:03 mark, but the Cougars responded with a 9-0 run that yielded a 31-20 lead, taking advantage of Texas' five-plus-minute scoreless stretch.
Cryer nailed a transition 3 during that run, with Shead recording a steal and an assist in that sequence. Ja'Vier Francis blocked an Abmas drive in the waning moments of the first half capped by two Shead free throws. The Cougars led 40-27 at the intermission, with Cryer and Shead combining for 23 points. Houston recorded five blocks and 11 fast-break points in the half.
The Cougars eliminated all doubt by opening the second half with a 12-2 burst on 5-of-6 shooting, running out to a 52-29 lead. After Francis scored in the lane, J'Wan Roberts (nine points, seven rebounds) converted consecutive layups.
Houston led by as many as 26.
—Field Level Media