HOUSTON (AP) — Marcus Sasser made seven 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 26 points, and No. 15 Houston beat Northwestern State 99-58 on Tuesday night.
Sasser had 23 points by halftime on 7-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc as the Cougars (6-1) built a 60-25 lead at the break. He finished 9 of 17 from the field for the game.
Taze Moore scored 17 points, Jamal Shead added 12 points and nine assists, Tramon Mark scored 12 points and Kyler Edwards had 10 points for Houston, which shot a season-high 54% and made a season-high 14 3-pointers on 34 attempts (41.2%).
Houston forced Northwestern State (1-7) into 21 turnovers, which the Cougars turned into 32 points. Houston, which won its 29th straight at home, had a season high in points.
Emareyon McDonald scored 17 points and Kendal Coleman had 11 points and five rebounds for the Demons, who lost their fifth straight. Northwestern State shot 38% and was 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Houston outscored the Demons 22-7 over the opening 8:10, capped by a dunk by J’Wan Roberts. Sasser had nine points in the run.
BIG PICTURE
Northwestern State: The Demons have not defeated an AP Top 25 team since beating No. 15 Iowa in March 2006. Northwestern State struggled against Houston’s size, speed and athleticism and was overmatched in the paint as well as on the perimeter.
Houston: The Cougars won the rebounding battle 43-23 and dominated the offensive glass 19-6, leading to 20 second-chance points. Houston finished with a season-high 27 assists. The Cougars had 48 points in the paint.
DUNK PARTY
Houston finished with nine dunks, including four by Moore. He had two alley-oop dunks in the second half, including one where he was above the rim when he caught the pass.
UP NEXT
Northwestern State: At Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
Houston: Hosts Bryant on Friday.
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