Grimes restores order
Second-half outburst helps Cougars climb from 10-point hole
NO. 11 HOUSTON 70, WICHITA STATE 63
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has simple instructions for Quentin Grimes.
“Keep shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting,” Sampson said after the No. 11 Cougars erased a 10point deficit in the second half Wednesday for a 70-63 win over Wichita State at Fertitta Center.
Sampson calls Grimes, a 6-5 junior guard, the “best rhythm shooter” on the team. After shooting 1- of-6 from the field in the first half, Grimes scored 20 of his 22 points after halftime, including 4of-6 on 3-pointers.
“I don’t care howmany shots he misses,” Sampson said. “When he gets in his rhythm, he can’t take a bad shot as far as I’m concerned. I just like to see him aggressive.”
UH improved to 9-1 and 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference.
Justin Gorham posted his second straight double-double with 14 points and10 rebounds, and DeJon Jarreau had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Cougars, who beat Wichita State for the sixth straight time.
At home for the first time since Dec. 22, UH won for the 54th time in the last 57 games at Fertitta Center.
The home success appeared to be in jeopardy as the Cougars struggled through a listless first half that included 32.4 percent shooting, a slight edge in rebounds (25-24) and six turnovers that the Shockers turned into 14 points.
“Coach Sampson doesn’t like that,” Gorham said of trailing at halftime for the third straight game. “He’s going berserk in the locker room. We were playing like we were tired in the first half. We
had to get back to ourselves and play Cougar basketball — defensive stops and offensive rebounds.”
Wichita State increased a 31-25 halftime lead to 35-25 just 76 seconds into the second half. Grimes and Gorham sparked the Cougars’ 16-0 run with a combined 12 points. Jarreau added four points, including a runner off the glass, as UH seized a 41-35 lead.
The Shockers went 7:22 without a field goal, missing nine straight shots, the last a block by Gorham on a dunk attempt by Tyson Etienne.
The Shockers (6-3, 2-1 AAC) pulled within 48-44 on a 3-pointer by Dexter Dennis with 8:44 remaining. The Cougars responded with a 12-2 run, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Grimes for a 60-46 lead, UH’s largest of the game.
During the first half the past two games, Grimes is 1- of-7 for two points. The second half has been a different story with Grimes going 8- of-21 for 31 points.
“I knew in the second half I had to assert myself and be in attack mode at all time to make sure to get us going,” said Grimes, who has five 20-point games this season.
UH relied on program staples in the second half, holding the Shockers to 34.6 percent shooting, forcing eight turnovers and holding a 20-17 edge in rebounds. The Cougars, meanwhile, scored 45 points and shot nearly 50 percent after halftime.
“Our goal is not to be great statistically,” Sampson said. “Our goal is to win. We have to find ways to win.”
Etienne had a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds and Dennis added 18 points for the Shockers, who had their fivegame winning streak snapped.
The contest was the first of a span of five of the next six games at home for the Cougars, the preseason favorites in the AAC.
“Our program has a reputation,” Sampson said. “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. Everybody we’ve played, UCF, Tulsa, SMU, Wichita State, all these teams are really getting after us.”