Edwards' 7 3s help No. 11 Houston escape Tulsa 66-64

Sat, Jan 15, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Kyler Edwards made seven 3-pointers as part of his 29 points, and No. 11 Houston held off several rallies by Tulsa for a 66-64 win on Saturday night.

Tulsa freshman guard Anthony Pritchard missed a game-tying layup with a second to play, and the Golden Hurricanes had another chance with 0.4 seconds remaining but Houston blocked Sam Griffin's 3-point attempt.

Houston (15-2, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) also got 10 points from Reggie Chaney.

Tulsa (6-9, 0-4) was led by Jeriah Horne with 24 points, and 10 from Griffin.

Tulsa had stormed back from a 17-point halftime deficit to make it 50-49 with 11:03 left. Edwards then made a jumper with 10 minutes left and hit a 3-point with 7:45 left to give Houston a 57-52 cushion.

The Cougars went on to push the lead to 64-52, but Griffin made three 3-pointers in a span of 1:27 as Tulsa rallied to within 66-64 with 1:03 to play.

Horne popped in four 3-pointers in the first nine minutes of the second half, the final one cutting Houston's lead to 50-49 after trailing 38-21 at the half.

Houston limited Tulsa to just 25% shooting in the first half and led comfortably after an early 15-2 run.

Tulsa stayed within striking distance until the Cougars closed the half on a 9-0 run in the final 1:24, capped by Ramon Walker's 3-pointer at the buzzer. Tulsa's Darrien Jackson jarred the ball loose as Walker started his shot, but Walker managed to get a grasp and fling it in from 24 feet.

Edwards did most of the early damage for the Cougars, making 5-of-8 3-pointers. Houston made 7 of 17 treys while Tulsa was just 1-for-11 in the first half, while Tulsa heated up in the second half, making 8 of 13 treys.

BIG PICTURE

How clear cut is Houston's advantage over the rest of the conference? In 21 team statistical categories tracked by the league, the Cougars are No. 1 in 12 and top three in four others. Tulsa leads the conference in free-throw percentage and is top three in two others.

Houston leads in scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense among others.

UP NEXT

Houston: Hosts South Florida on Tuesday.

Tulsa: At Cincinnati on Thursday.

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