Tyson hits 10 3-pointers in rout
Sophomore eclipses school mark as all five Cougars starters rested
Midway through the second half, Jamal Shead entered the game and had a read-between-the-lines message for Cameron Tyson.
“Everything I pass to you, just shoot it,” Shead told Tyson.
Tyson had a career-high 32 points and eclipsed a school record with 10 3pointers as fifth-ranked Houston sat all five regular starters in a 112-46 victory over Our Lady of the Lake.
Even head-coach-inwaiting Kellen Sampson moved into the lead chair for his father, Kelvin Sampson, as the Cougars (16-2) predictably had no problem against the NAIA school from San Antonio.
The 66-point margin of victory was the fourth-largest in program history.
The contest was put together earlier in the week to fill an open date on the schedule for the Cougars, who had two games in the American Athletic Conference postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sampson said the game allowed him to play younger role players who have seen limited minutes. It also provided a breather for his regular lineup, which had played 13 games since returning from a COVID-19 pause in late December.
“The score of the game, the opponent, that’s not what’s important,” Sampson said. “Getting these guys reps and minutes versus not playing at all was what I had in mind.”
Tyson, a sophomore who scored 20 in the first half, surpassed his previous career high 31 set at Tulane on Jan. 28. The Cougars got big performances from a pair of true freshman guards — Tramon Mark had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Jamal Shead had 20 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and eight steals.
“All our freshmen can be special,” Tyson said.
UH shot 55 percent for the game, including 15-of-31 on 3-pointers.
Tyson broke the record he held with Robert McKiver with a flurry of three straight 3s in the span of 50 seconds. His last 3-pointer gave the Cougars a 90-35 lead with 10:03 left in the game.
“We were trying to shatter the record,” Shead said. “We were trying to get to 14, 15 (3-pointers).”
UH started a lineup that had a combined 19 career starts, including a pair of true freshmen (Shead and Mark), a redshirt freshman (forward J’Wan Roberts), redshirt sophomore (Tyson) and junior forward Reggie Chaney, the most experienced with nine previous starts at Arkansas. UH also played two walk-ons, guard Ryan Elvin and center Caleb Broodo.
Shead came within one rebound of a triple double, a milestone his teammates on the bench kept watch in the second half.
Roberts had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Powell added 11 points and 13 rebounds, both in a seasonhigh 29 minutes. Elvin had three 3s for nine points.
After a 3-pointer by Our Lady’s Jordan Embry pulled the Saints within 12-9 in the opening minutes, Mark made his first six field goals as the Cougars went on a 39-4 run, including 25 points in a row. Tyson had five 3s during the span.
UH made 11 straight field goals during the run, taking a 51-13 lead. The Saints missed 10 straight shots and went without a field goal for nearly seven minutes as UH led 60-22 at halftime.
Embry scored nine points and Ruben Monzon and Ethan White each had eight points for OLLU (1-4), which has had eight games interrupted by COVID-19.
UH outrebounded OLLU 55-28, had 17 steals and 25 assists. The Cougars won their 21st straight at home an 59 in the last 62 overall.