HOUSTON (AP) — Marcus Sasser scored 26 points, Kyler Edwards added 18 points and six rebounds, and No. 15 Houston routed Rice 79-45 on Friday night.
Sasser finished 8 of 16 from the field and connected on 5 of 9 on 3-pointers as the Cougars (2-0) jumped out to a 44-15 halftime lead. Sasser scored 16 points in the first half.
Houston forced Rice (1-1) into 20 turnovers, which the Cougars turned into 34 points. The Cougars shot 41% and were 10 of 30 on 3-pointers in extending their home winning streak to 27 games.
Travis Evee scored 11 points and Cameron Sheffield had 10 points to lead Rice. The Owls struggled from the field in the first half, shooting 5 of 25, including 3 of 17 on 3-pointers. Rice shot 28% and 8 of 31 on 3-pointers for the game.
Houston used runs of 8-0, 14-0 and 9-0 to open up a 37-10 lead on a 3-pointer by Sasser with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
BIG PICTURE
Rice: The Owls have lost 25 straight games against ranked opponents and fell to 2-50 on the road against foes in the AP Top 25. Rice, which was picked to finish eighth in Conference USA, was overmatched, especially inside.
Houston: The Cougars took care of the ball, committing seven turnovers, and held a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint. Houston also held a 42-39 advantage in rebounds, including 16 offensive rebounds, and finished with six blocks and 13 steals.
SERIES HISTORY
Houston improved to 65-18 in the series with the crosstown Owls and has won the last seven.
MOVING UP THE CHARTS
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson moved past Gary Williams into 37th place in NCAA history with 668 victories.
UP NEXT
Rice: Hosts Southern on Tuesday.
Houston: Hosts No. 25 Virginia on Tuesday.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
