Coogs pound Prairie View A&M, 105-61

Posted: December 3, 2016 -- 8:34 pm CDT.

HOUSTON, TX (Hofheinz Pavilion) -- The Houston Cougars got back on the winning track Saturday evening in a big way. The Cougars pounded the Prairie View A&M Panthers 105-61 in front of an announced crowd of 3,091 fans inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

The Coogs (6-1) trailed the Panthers 6-4 at the 18:23 mark of the first half; but, junior forward Devin Davis split two free throws which began a 9-0 run.

Coogs' freshman guard Armoni Brooks drained two three-pointers during a 11-2 run to increase the lead to 24-8 with 12:33 remaining in the opening half.

Prairie View guard Daquan Cook ended the Panthers' six minute field goal drought with a three-point basket; but, Houston's Damyean Dotson answered with a dunk for a 26-11 Cougars' lead with 10:45 on the clock.

The Panthers (2-6) used a 9-3 spurt to trim the Cougars' lead to nine points (29-20); however, Dotson scored five points during a 7-2 burst to push the lead to 15 points (36-21).

The Cougars led 47-29 at halftime. Rob Gray, Jr. scored 21 of the 47 points. Gray, Jr. made 6 of his 7 field goal attempts including a perfect 4 for 4 from behind the three-point line. He also added 4 assists and 4 boards. Dotson added 11 points in the opening 20 minutes. Dotson added 8 rebounds which helped the Cougars dominate the glass with a 26-10 rebounding advantage.

The 18 point halftime margin was the closest the Panthers would be the rest of the ball game.

Houston began the second half with a quick 6-0 run. The Cougars shot 57.9% from the floor (22 for 38) and led by as much as 48 points (105-57) in the second half.

Rob Gray, Jr. scored a game-high 23 points while four other Cougars scored in double digits. Dotson scored 16 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the young season. Devin Davis added points while Armoni Brooks scored 12 points (4 for 7 from three) and Wes Vanbeck scored 10.

Houston's next game is Tuesday, December 6, on the road against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Tip is set for 6 pm on the SEC TV Network.

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