No. 8 Houston never let Jacksonville State get comfortable, rolling to a 92-46 win on Wednesday night at Fertitta Center in the first-ever meeting between the programs, per the ESPN box score and NCAA.com.
Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 17 points with seven assists on 5-of-8 shooting, Mercy Miller added 15 points and five assists, and Chendall Weaver had 10 points, going 7-of-8 at the line. The Cougars moved to 3-0. Jacksonville State fell to 1-2, with Naas Cunningham scoring 13 and Jordan Stiemke adding 10.
A Fast Start Sets the Tone
After Ethan Croley’s hook shot tied it 2-2 early, Houston answered with a 20-1 run. Miller scored on an and-one, Joseph Tugler hit a jumper, Arafan Diane converted a three-point play, and back-to-back threes from Delrecco Gillespie and Thomas made it 18-3. Weaver then hit four straight free throws for a 22-3 lead with 12:03 left in the half, per ESPN’s play-by-play.
Jacksonville State found some rhythm from deep, with threes from Leon Horner, Chris Lockett Jr. and Stiemke cutting it to 25-15. Houston pulled away again behind Diane, who scored five quick points, and two Chase McCarty threes. Corey Hadnot II’s floater late in the half made it 45-21 before Horner’s jumper at the buzzer sent the Cougars to the locker room up 45-23.
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Pulling Away After Halftime
Thomas opened the second half with a pullup jumper and a driving layup, and Hadnot added two quick buckets to make it 53-29. Weaver’s three and a Braden East dunk pushed it to 60-34 with 11:36 left. East scored six points in a stretch that made it 68-39.
Miller took over from there. He scored on an and-one layup, hit a three off a Thomas assist and finished with a dunk as Houston turned a 71-41 lead into an 85-44 cushion. Bryce Jackson hit two jumpers, and Kordel Jefferson’s dunk with 55 seconds left capped the night at 92-46, Houston’s largest lead of the game. Houston led for about 98% of the game, and Jacksonville State never led.
By the Numbers
- Final: Houston 92, Jacksonville State 46 (halftime 45-23), per the ESPN box score
- Attendance: 7,035 at Fertitta Center
- Shooting: Houston 29-of-54 (54%), Jacksonville State 15-of-56 (27%)
- Threes: Houston 7-of-22, Jacksonville State 7-of-26
- Free throws: Houston 27-of-32 (84%), Jacksonville State 9-of-16
- Rebounds: Houston 46, Jacksonville State 26 (Houston 33 defensive boards)
- Assists: Houston 17, Jacksonville State 8
- Turnovers: Houston 10, Jacksonville State 14; Houston scored 20 points off turnovers, Jacksonville State 2
- Points in the paint: Houston 36, Jacksonville State 10; fast-break points: Houston 10, Jacksonville State 3
- Dedan Thomas Jr.: 17 points, 7 assists, 6-of-6 free throws in 28 minutes
- Mercy Miller: 15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
- Chendall Weaver: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 7-of-8 free throws in 11 minutes
- Arafan Diane: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3-of-3 shooting; Braden East: 8 points, 5 rebounds
- Joseph Tugler: 8 rebounds, 2 blocks; Chase McCarty: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 threes
- Jacksonville State: Naas Cunningham 13 points (3 threes), Jordan Stiemke 10 points and 7 rebounds, Leon Horner 9 points and 4 assists
- Largest Houston lead: 46 points
What’s Next
Houston, coming off an 86-68 win over California on Sunday and now 3-0, faces Rutgers on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m. CT, per ESPN, as the Cougars head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. Follow all of LFG Houston’s college coverage.
Stats via the ESPN box score and NCAA.com. Game details from ESPN’s play-by-play. Pregame notes from UHCougars.com.
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