HOUSTON (AP) — Dedan Thomas Jr. had 17 points and seven assists, Mercy Miller added 15 points and No. 8 Houston defeated Jacksonville State 92-46 on Wednesday night.
Chendall Weaver had 10 points off the
bench for Houston (3-0). The Cougars shot 54% from the field and were 7 of 22 from 3-point distance.
Houston outrebounded Jacksonville State 46-26 and had a 36-10 advantage in points in the paint. The Cougars got 43 bench points, led by Weaver, and shot 27 for 32 from the line.
Naas Cunningham scored 13 points, and Jordan Stiemke added 10 for Jacksonville State (1-2). The Gamecocks shot 27%, including 7 of 26 from distance.
Houston jumped out to a 22-3 lead on four straight free throws by Weaver with 12 minutes left in the first half.
Jacksonville State answered with nine straight points, cutting its deficit to 10 points on a jumper by Leon Horner with 8 ½ minutes remaining in the half. But, the Cougars responded with 16-5 outburst for a 38-17 lead on two free throws by Thomas with 4 ½ minutes to go in the half.
Houston led 43-23 at the break.
Jacksonville State: Hosts UAB on Saturday.
Houston: Faces Rutgers in Las Vegas on Tuesday at the Players Era 8 Championship.
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