Carlton scores 22, No. 12 Houston beats Wichita St 76-66

Updated Jan. 8, 2022 2:32 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Josh Carlton had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 12 Houston over Wichita State 76-66 on Saturday.

Carlton, who scored a career-high 30 points to go with 11 rebounds in a win Wednesday at South Florida, was eight of 12 from the field. He also blocked four shots.

Taze Moore scored 17 points, Fabian White Jr. added 15 and Jamal Shead had 10 points and seven assists for the Cougars. Houston (14-2, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) won its sixth straight and extended its home winning streak to 34 games.

Tyson Etienne scored 11 points and Dexter Dennis had 10 for the Shockers (9-5, 0-2).

The Cougars led 36-31 at halftime and made it 65-50 with 8:40 remaining on a layup by Carlton. Wichita State responded with a 9-0 run, cutting the lead to six on layup by Ricky Council IV with five minutes left.

Houston then scored five in a row, capped by Carlton's three-point play.

BIG PICTURE

Wichita State: The Shockers missed a chance to improve its resume with a quality win. … Wichita State has not defeated an AP Top 25 opponent on the road since winning at Cincinnati on Feb. 18, 2018.

Houston: The Cougars held a 38-26 advantage in points in the paint and 40-35 advantage in rebounding. … Houston, which never trailed, committed 13 turnovers and was 12 of 17 on free throws.

HOUSTON’S ALL-TIME TEAM

NBA Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Elvin Hayes were in attendance to be honored as members of the Cougars’ 75th anniversary team. Olajuwon, who played for Houston from 1981-84, sat courtside and was part of the halftime tribute. Hayes, who played for the Cougars from 1965-68 and now is analyst for Houston radio, was shown on the video board at halftime.

Hall of Fame coach Guy V. Lewis, who died in 2015, NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, Rob Williams and Otis Birdsong also were honored.

UP NEXT

Wichita State: Hosts Tulane on Wednesday.

Houston: Travels to Tulsa on Jan. 15.

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