UH rides hot start; TCU wins in Austin for 1st time since ’87
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Rob Gray scored 19 points, Armoni Brooks had 15, and the University of Houston took control early and defeated East Carolina 74-58 on Wednesday night.
Wes Van Beck added 13 points on a perfect night of shooting, and Damyean Dotson has 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars (13-4, 4-1 American).
Gray had 13 points, Brooks — who matched his career high— and Dotson, each had 12 points in the first half when UH rolled to a 47-25 lead. The Cougars shot 54.5 percent (18 of 33) and were a blistering 11 of 16 from 3-point range. All of Dotson’s points came on 3-pointers.
UH scored the first nine points of the game on 3s and made its first six. Van Beck, Gray and Brooks each finished with three treys, and Van Beck added a shot inside the arc and a two free throws.
East Carolina (9-8, 1-4), which lost its fourth straight, shot 29 percent in the first half, going 1-of11 from 3-point range. The Pirates finished 3-of-22 behind the arc.
Kentrell Barkley had 13 points for East Carolina and Caleb White and Andre Washington 12 each, with Washington grabbing 11 rebounds.
TCU 64, TEXAS 61
Vladimir Brodziansky scored 19 points, including the go-ahead basket with 50 seconds remaining, to lead the Horned Frogs to their first victory in Austin since 1987, a run of 14 consecutive losses.
Said first-year coach Jamie Dixon, who contributed 18 points and nine assists the last time TCU won in Austin, “I didn’t know it had been that long. I didn’t know I was that old. I didn’t know how many times we had played during that time. It doesn’t mean a thing to me. It’s about the future.”
Jaylen Fisher added 16 points and Kenrich Williams grabbed 13 rebounds for TCU.
Jarrett Allen led Texas with 18 points.
Kerwin Roach Jr. gave Texas (7-9, 1-3 Big 12) a one-point lead with a driving shot with 1:13 remaining. After Brodziansky put TCU (13-3, 2-2) back ahead, Roach missed a layup before Fisher added two free throws. Eric Davis Jr. missed a potential tying 3-pointer with eight seconds left.
“They played harder than us,” Allen said. “They wanted it more.”
CREIGHTON 75 BUTLER 64
Maurice Watson Jr. scored 21 points, and the No. 8 Bluejays matched the best start in program history with a victory over the No. 12 Bulldogs at Omaha, Neb.
Creighton (16-1) rode hot shooting in the first half to build a big lead in handing Butler (14-3) its first loss in five games against Top 25 opponents.
NORTH CAROLINA 93 WAKE FOREST 87
Justin Jackson hit a huge 3-pointer with 1:03 left, and the No. 11 Tar Heels Carolina did just enough to hold off the host Demon Deacons.
Jackson, a junior from Houston, finished with 19 points, while Kennedy Meeks added 18 points and 11 rebounds for North Carolina.
LOUISVILLE 85 PITTSBURGH 80
Quentin Snider scored 22 points, including two free throws with 25.3 seconds remaining, and Deng Adel added a free throw 8 seconds later as the No. 14 Cardinals survived Jamel Artis’ careerhigh 43 points to outlast the visiting Panthers.
MICHIGAN ST. 65 MINNESOTA 47
Miles Bridges scored all 16 of his points in the first half, helping the host Spartans build a huge lead they used to cruise to a victory over the No. 24 Gophers.
Women BAYLOR 77, TCU 54
Freshman Lauren Cox made her first seven shots and scored 19 points as the Lady Bears won their 51st consecutive home game.
Alexis Jones added 14 points and Alexis Prince 10 for the Lady Bears (161, 5-0 Big 12), who had their smallest margin in a conference game so far but trailed for only a 12-second span after TCU made a 3-pointer for its first basket of the game.
TCU (8-8, 0-5) has lost 21 in a row since 1991 against the Lady Bears, including 0-9 mark in the five seasons the Frogs have been in the Big 12.
AJ Alix led TCU with 17 points.
TEXAS TECH 75 WEST VIRGINIA 66
Recee’ Caldwell scored 21 points, and the Red Raiders had a 17-point lead erased in the fourth quarter but recovered with a 10-2 run to close out an upset of the No. 18 Mountaineers at Lubbock.
MARYLAND 89 PENN ST. 83
Brionna Jones tied the school record with 42 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the third-ranked Terrapins win at home.
CENTRAL FLORIDA 62 HOUSTON 48
A 10-point, 11-rebound game from Jasmyne Harris couldn’t prevent the Cougars from losing at Hofheinz Pavilion.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 80 HOUSTON BAPTIST 49
Heidi Byrd scored 12 points for the Huskies in their loss at Sharp Gym.