Houston’s new-look Cougars looked right at home. Corey Hadnot II scored 14 points off the bench, Dedan Thomas Jr. had 16 points and five assists, and the No. 10 Cougars cruised past La Salle 94-55 in the season opener Monday night at Fertitta Center.
Houston (1-0) has now won 18 straight season openers, after entering the night at 17, per UH’s game preview. La Salle, picked 13th in the 14-team Atlantic 10 preseason poll per the Houston Chronicle, fell to 0-1.
Houston Takes Control Early
The Cougars led 43-23 at halftime and outscored the Explorers 51-32 in the second half, per the UHCougars.com box score. Houston shot 54.4% from the field (31-of-57) while holding La Salle to 25.0% (15-of-60) and 8-of-39 from 3-point range.
Pressure on the ball did the damage. La Salle turned it over 19 times, and Houston piled up 11 steals. The Cougars also won the glass 47-32 and finished with 21 assists to La Salle’s 11.
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Thomas and Hadnot Lead a Deep Rotation
Thomas, the LSU transfer and an All-Big 12 preseason pick, went just 2-of-7 from the field but got to the line 14 times and made 11, per ESPN. He added five assists and no turnovers. Hadnot, the Purdue Fort Wayne transfer, shot 6-of-10 and handed out five assists in 22 minutes.
Delrecco Gillespie, the Kent State transfer, was efficient in his Houston debut with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds. Chase McCarty added 10 points and six rebounds, Arafan Diané scored 10 on 5-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes, and Braden East and Joseph Tugler each had nine. Mercy Miller had five points, seven rebounds and five assists.
ESPN video clips from the game show McCarty being helped off the court with an injury and Kelvin Sampson picking up a technical foul after voicing displeasure. McCarty still finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes, and no update on his status was available at the time of writing.
La Salle Struggles From Deep
Kam Burton, a Stephen F. Austin transfer, led La Salle with 15 points, hitting four 3-pointers on 12 attempts. Devin Booker added 12 points. Bowyn Beatty had five points and seven rebounds. Rob Dockery, a preseason All-A-10 second-team pick per the Houston Chronicle’s game preview, played seven minutes and scored one point.
Box Score Leaders
- Dedan Thomas Jr. (HOU): 16 points (11-of-14 FT), 5 assists, 3 rebounds
- Corey Hadnot II (HOU): 14 points (6-of-10 FG), 5 assists off the bench
- Delrecco Gillespie (HOU): 13 points (5-of-6 FG), 7 rebounds
- Chase McCarty (HOU): 10 points, 6 rebounds
- Arafan Diané (HOU): 10 points (5-of-9 FG) off the bench
- Kam Burton (LAS): 15 points (4-of-12 3PT)
- Devin Booker (LAS): 12 points (4-of-12 FG)
- Bowyn Beatty (LAS): 5 points, 7 rebounds
What’s Next
Houston plays Sunday, Nov. 8, against California at the Tahoe Blue Event Center in Lake Tahoe, Nev., with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. CT, per the UHCougars.com schedule. The Cougars return to Fertitta Center on Nov. 11 against Jacksonville State. Follow all of LFG Houston’s college coverage.
Stats via the official box scores at ESPN and UHCougars.com. Preseason context via UHCougars.com and the Houston Chronicle.
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