HOUSTON (AP) — Fabian White Jr. had 21 points and nine rebounds and Josh Carlton added 19 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 14 Houston to a 75-61 win over SMU on Sunday.
Taze Moore chipped in 11 points, and Jamal Shead finished with 10 points and 11 assists for Houston (24-4, 13-2 American Athletic Conference).
Houston owned a 48-30 advantage in points in the paint, shot 45% and had a 49-25 advantage in rebounds in their fourth straight win. The Cougars also grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and turned them into 18 second-chance points.
Kendric Davis scored 19 points, and Michael Weathers scored 10 points to lead the Mustangs (20-7, 11-4). SMU shot 39% and struggled on 3-pointers, hitting four of 21.
Houston has a two-game lead over the Mustangs for first place in the AAC heading into the final week of the regular season.
Houston used a 23-6 run to push its lead to 27-10 midway through the first half on a layup by J’Wan Roberts. The Cougars led by as many as 19 in the first half and took a 37-22 lead into halftime.
SMU cut the lead to 43-35 on a 3-pointer by Emmanuel Bandoumel with 16 minutes remaining, but the Mustangs got no closer than eight when Houston responded with a 15-2 run to increase its lead to 63-42 on layup by Carlton with 6½ minutes to go.
BIG PICTURE
SMU: The loss hurts the Mustangs' NCAA Tournament resume with two games left in the regular season. … The Mustangs scored a season-low in first half points with 22 and struggled shooting in the first half, making 33% of their shots and missing all eight of their 3-point attempts.
Houston: The Cougars helped their NCAA Tournament resume with the win. … Houston forced the Mustangs into 10 turnovers and turned it into 16 points. … The Cougars had 20 assists on 29 made field goals.
UP NEXT
SMU: Hosts Cincinnati on Thursday.
Houston: Hosts Cincinnati on Tuesday.
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