L.J. Cryer scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the first half and No. 3 Houston beat visiting Kansas 65-59 on Monday to set a single-season mark for Big 12 victories.
The Cougars (26-4, 18-1 Big 12) extended their winning streak to nine by producing a plus-26 margin in shot attempts courtesy of 17 offensive rebounds and 20 forced turnovers. Cryer answered a bucket by Kansas center Hunter Dickinson with a second-chance layup — his lone bucket of the half — at the 1:40 mark of the second half for a 61-56 lead.
Cryer followed two free throws from Emanuel Sharp that answered a David Coit 3-pointer, which closed the margin to two, with a steal and a pair from the line. Sharp posted 12 points and six rebounds while Milos Uzan and Mylik Wilson scored 10 apiece for the Cougars. Wilson added five rebounds, six assists and four steals to his ledger. Houston had 16 steals as a team.
The Jayhawks (19-11, 10-9) turned a 12-6 run early in the second half into a 39-36 lead, with Dajuan Harris Jr. following a Coit steal with a transition layup. But Uzan and Sharp keyed a 12-3 Houston rally with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Cougars maintained the lead.
Dickinson paired 17 points with 12 rebounds before fouling out. Coit tallied 14 points and four assists while KJ Adams added 15 points for the Jayhawks.
Excluding Coit and Cryer, neither team could generate much momentum offensively in the first half. The Cougars struggled after Uzan picked up his second foul early in the half and went to the bench, missing six consecutive shots before Cryer hit a 3 that lifted Houston to an 18-13 lead.
Coit stopped a skid by the Jayhawks with a 3-pointer that Cryer matched, and later added two more 3-pointers before two Adams free throws pulled the Jayhawks even at 23-all. Kansas took a 25-23 lead before Cryer responded with five consecutive points, helping carry the Cougars to a 30-27 halftime lead.
While Coit finished 3 for 3 and tallied nine points before the intermission, Cryer made 7 of 13 shots, including four 3-pointers. Excluding Cryer, the Cougars shot 5 for 26 from the floor in the first half.
–Field Level Media
