Dedan Thomas Jr. amassed 17 points and seven assists and Mercy Miller added 15 points — including 11 in the second half — as No. 8 Houston waltzed to a 92-46 win over visiting Jacksonville State on Wednesday to stay undefeated.
Houston (3-0) led by 22 at halftime, doing much of its damage during an early seven-plus-minute stretch in which it held the Gamecocks scoreless from the floor.
After a ragged start to the second half, the Cougars regained their stride and overwhelmed Jacksonville State over the final 14 minutes. Houston expanded its lead to 31 on a layup by Miller with 6:31 to play, to 41 on a dunk by Miller with 3:24 left and to 46 in the final seconds. Chendall Weaver added 10 points in a reserve role for Houston.
Naas Cunningham led the Gamecocks (1-2) with 13 points off the bench while Jordan Stiemke had 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Cougars sprinted away from a 2-2 tie by scoring 19 of the next 20 points, capped by a three-point play by Weaver for a 21-3 lead. Jacksonville State battled back, trimming its deficit to 22-12 when Leon Horner canned a second-chance 3-pointer with 9:28 to play in the first half.
Houston rebuilt its advantage and expanded on it over the ensuing five minutes, going up by 21 after a pair of free throws by Thomas at the 4:38 mark. Corey Hadnot II’s jumper with 27 seconds to play pushed the Cougars’ lead to a then-game-high 24 before Horner hit a jumper to bring Jacksonville State to within 45-23 at the break.
Thomas’ nine points in the half led Houston, which outshot the visitors 44.4%-25% over the first 20 minutes. The Cougars outscored the Gamecocks 17-5 at the free-throw line and attempted 14 3-pointers, hitting four.
Horner led Jacksonville State with nine points at halftime.