Coogs win at Tulsa by 12, 77-65

POSTED: January 27, 2019 -- 10:27 p.m. CST

TULSA, OK (Donald W. Reynolds Center) -- The 17th-ranked Houston Cougars made timely shots and dominated the boards in a 77-65 road win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Houston junior guard Armoni Brooks scored a game-high 22 points. Brooks made 6 of 14 three-point attempts and iced the game in the final seconds sinking 4 free throws.

Houston outrebounded Tulsa 49-24 (16-3 in offensive rebounding) and outscored Tulsa 22-0 in second-chance points.

"We have to rebound better in the zone," Tulsa Head Coach Frank Haith said after the game. "There is no question. It is tougher. I looked and they shot 42% for the game; so, it is the rebounding that we have to fix."

Houston (20-1 overall, 7-1 in American Athletic Conference) missed its first 11 three-point shots before redshirt-sophomore Dejon Jarreau sank a three from the top of the key. Houston led 21-17 before heating up from three-point range.

First, Brooks swished a 3 from the left side; then, redshirt-freshman Cedrick Alley Jr. swished a three from the right corner; and, senior Corey Davis Jr followed up with a three-point basket from the right side of the floor. Three, 3-point buckets in less than 60 seconds.

Houston made three more three-point shots in the final four minutes of the first half and led Tulsa 45-29 at halftime. After the 0 for 11 start from three, Houston made 6 of its final 13 threes in the first half. Freshman Nate Hinton scored 11 points in the first half to lead the Coogs.

The Coogs' lead ballooned to 21 (62-41) in the second half; however, Tulsa went on a 13-1 run to cut Houston's margin to 9 points (63-54) with 6:54 remaining in the game. Houston scored 5 straight points to lead 68-54; but, Tulsa answered with 6 consecutive points for a 68-60 Houston lead with 1:51 remaining in the game.

Fabian White Jr. got a friendly roll on a tip-in with his left hand; but, Tulsa made two free throws for a 70-62 Houston lead 84 seconds remaining. On Houston's next possession, with the shot clock winding down, Armoni Brooks made a long three-point shot to beat the shot clock for a 73-62 lead with 50 seconds left in the game.

Tulsa's Sterling Taplin answered with a 3; but, only 40 seconds remained in the game. Tulsa fouled Brooks two times; and, each time, Brooks made both free throws to seal the win for the Houston.

"Tulsa's really good defensively," Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson said after the game. "They don't make it easy for you. But, we have some guys who can really shoot it."

In addition to Brooks's 22 points, Fabian White Jr added 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Nate Hinton finished with 13 points, 5 boards, and 1 assist in 19 minutes. Big man Chris Harris Jr. added 5 points and 10 boards in 20 minutes off the bench.

NOTES:

With the win, Houston became the first Division 1 team to win 20 games this season.

At the 6:57 mark of the second half, Houston's Breaon Brady injured his left knee while trying to draw a charge on Tulsa's Jeriah Horne. Brady did not play the rest of the game. After the game, Houston's sports information department tweeted Brady should be close to 100 percent for Houston's next game on Thursday.

NEXT:

Houston hosts the Temple Owls, Thursday, January 31, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. Temple defeated Houston, 73-69, January 9th, in Philly.

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