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L.J. Cryer and Milos Uzan combined for 26 points as the sixth-ranked Houston Cougars claimed a 76-65 victory over the visiting Baylor Bears on Monday.

The Cougars (20-4, 12-1 Big 12) negated the Bears’ strong shooting by scoring 28 points off 15 Baylor turnovers. Baylor (15-9, 7-6) surrendered a 10-3 burst to open the second half and never reclaimed its footing, as Houston extended to a 25-point lead after a brief flurry by Baylor forward Norchad Omier pulled the Bears to within 54-45 midway through the second half.

Emanuel Sharp drilled a corner 3-pointer and Uzan followed with a pair of three-point plays that extended the lead to 65-46 with 8:02 remaining. Cryer scored a team-high 14 points with four 3-pointers while Uzan chipped in 12 points and six assists. Terrance Arceneaux recorded 11 points while Sharp and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 apiece for the Cougars, who shot 50.9 percent.

Omier paced the Bears with 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting while Langston Love tallied 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Freshman VJ Edgecombe posted 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting and team highs of six rebounds, three assists and five turnovers for Baylor, which shot 57.9 percent but finished with a minus-15 margin in shot attempts.

Baylor started 5-for-5 from the floor but was undone by three early turnovers that the Cougars converted into eight points and a 14-12 lead. Houston then seized a double-digit advantage with a 10-1 run that featured a Mylik Wilson 3-pointer and a Roberts hook shot that upped the margin to 26-16 at the 7:53 mark of the first half.

Love ended that rally with a 3-pointer for the Bears before Edgecombe suddenly came alive with a transition dunk for his first points with 6:26 left in the half. Edgecombe followed with two more baskets in succession to help Baylor cut the deficit to 34-27. However, the Cougars entered the intermission with a 38-30 lead despite the Bears shooting 57.9 percent in the opening half.

–Field Level Media