Houston Cougars vs Southern Methodist Mustangs Match Player Stats On Jan 03, 2021

Marcus Sasser scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half Sunday night as No. 5 Houston rallied from a halftime deficit to subdue previously unbeaten SMU 74-60 in an American Athletic Conference game in Dallas.

DeJon Jarreau stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Cougars (8-1, 3-1). Senior Justin Gorham chipped in 11 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for Houston, which out-rebounded the Mustangs 45-32, including 28-13 after halftime. Quentin Grimes added 11 points.

Kendric Davis poured in a game-high 23 points for SMU (6-1, 2-1), adding eight rebounds and four assists. Feron Hunt scored 12 points and grabbed 12 boards, while Ethan Chargois added 10 points.

Angling for a potential berth in Monday's Top 25, the Mustangs took a one-point edge into the second half. But the Cougars quickly rattled off 10 straight points to take a 42-33 lead and never looked back.

Houston protected the lead with perfect foul shooting. It made all 12 of its attempts in the second half, finishing the game at 17 of 20.

It was a solid bounce-back effort for the Cougars after a 65-64 upset loss Tuesday night at Tulsa. They also faced adversity off the floor as AAC Preseason Player of the Year Caleb Mills, who has battled injuries, opted Sunday to step away on a temporary basis.

It was no surprise when the teams went into grinder mode quickly. Both swapped the lead frequently in a tight first half.

Jarreau's 3-pointer gave Houston a 9-4 lead just over three minutes into the game, but SMU tied it at 10 on a transition layup by Darius McNeill. A late burst enabled the Mustangs to go up 30-25.

After the Cougars tied it at 30, Davis converted a spectacular 3-point play at the bucket to top off a 13-point half on just five shot attempts. Jamal Shead's free throws sliced SMU's edge to 33-32 at intermission.

--Field Level Media