HOUSTON (AP) – Quentin Grimes had 20 points and eight rebounds, and No. 6 Houston took advantage of a big first half to roll past Cincinnati 90-52 on Sunday.
Tramon Mark scored 12 points, DeJon Jarreau added 11 points and five rebounds, and Fabian White Jr. had 10 points and nine rebounds for Houston (18-3, 12-3 American Athletic Conference). The Cougars shot 47% and hit 19 out of 21 from the free throw line.
The Cougars forced Cincinnati to make 13 turnovers, which Houston converted to 22 points.
The profit margin was the largest for either team in the series, beating the Bearcats 115-78 in December 1998. Cincinnati leads the series with Houston 34: 6.
Jeremiah Davenport scored 11 points and Tari Eason added 10 points for the Bearcats (7-8, 5-5) who saw their winning streak in four games. Cincinnati shot 30%.
Houston beat the Bearcats 32-7 in the last eleven minutes of the first half and took the lead 50-26 during the break. Jarreau scored nine points and Mark had eight in the semifinals.
The Cougars shot 9 of 18 out of the field and hit 13 of 13 from the free-throw line during that distance, while Cincinnati was 2 of 15 out of the field with no field goal in the last five minutes of the half.
BIG PICTURE
Cincinnati: The Bearcats played hard in the first eight minutes, leading at 19:18 after 6:10, but got cold from the ground. … Cincinnati allowed a season high in points while it made a season low.
Houston: The Cougars have extended their home winning streak to 22 games. … Houston won the relaxing fight 47-31 and had a 16-2 lead on second chance points. The Cougars also had a 40-16 advantage in points in color and 20-6 edges in fast-break points.
NEXT
Cincinnati: Travel to Tulsa on Wednesday.
Houston: Hosts South Florida on February 28th.
.jpeg?format=1500w "Keys for a Hoosier Upset of No. Eight Cincinnati — Hoosier Huddle")
