Kansas State Wildcats at Houston Cougars

No. 4 Houston beats Kansas State 74-52 for its fourth straight victory

Roberts and Emanuel Sharp each scored nine points in the first half as Houston built a 41-21 halftime lead. Houston (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) shot 40% and was 7 of 21 on 3-pointers.

“Our Holy Trinity doesn’t change,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Defend, rebound and take care of the ball. Do those three things, and you have a chance to win.”

Damian Dunn had 13 points for the Cougars, who have won 17 straight home games. Houston forced 18 turnovers and converted them into 25 points and owned a 28-18 advantage in points in the paint.

“Consistency,” Sampson said of Houston’s defense. “I don’t know if our defensive effort was any better against Texas Tech or Central Florida. That’s the way we practice. That’s the standard I hold these kids to.”

Cam Carter scored 16 points and Arthur Kaluma and Dai Dai Ames each added 11 points for Kansas State (14-6, 4-3), which lost its second straight. The Wildcats also shot 40% and were 7 of 21 on 3-pointers.

“They may be the best defensive team I’ve ever seen,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “It’s just hard to find shots. They do a great job. They’re connected on that end.”

The Cougars jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first 5 ½ minutes on a jumper by L.J. Cryer, but the Wildcats cut the lead to 13-7 on a 3-pointer by Tylor Perry with 12:45 left in the first half.

Houston responded by outscoring Kansas State 16-5 to open up a 29-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Cryer with 6 ½ minutes left in the half. The Wildcats closed within 32-21 with 2:45 remaining on a 3-pointer by Kaluma, but the Cougars finished the half with a 9-0 run to take a 20-point into halftime on a free throw by Jamal Shead.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats missed a chance for another Quad 1 win, falling to 1/3 in Quad 1 games. … The 21 first-half points were a season low for points scored in a half.

Houston: The Cougars had a 38-28 advantage in rebounds and 15-7 in offensive boards. Houston turned that into a 15-7 edge in second chance points. … Houston shot 23 of 34 from the free-throw line.

TANG TECH

For the second straight game, Tang was issued a technical foul late in the second half. He said umpire Gary Maxwell told Carter that if he wasn’t quiet, he would get him out of the game, and then, he proceeded to call “two tick tack fouls on him.”

“I got a tech for telling Gary that he’s the adult, and he needs to act like it because he was chirping with one of my players, and I’m always going to defend my guys,” Tang said. “If my guys are wrong, I’m going to correct them. What Gary Maxwell did and said to my player was not warranted, and all I told him was he was better than that as a person and he’s the adult, and I got a tech for that.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Hosts Oklahoma on Tuesday.

Houston: Travels to Texas on Monday.

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• TV Channel: Kansas State at Houston 2021 College Basketball, week 12, is broadcasted on ESPN.
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