Mark, Sasser lead No. 3 Houston past Oral Roberts 83-45

Mon, Nov 14, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)

HOUSTON (AP) - Tramon Mark scored a career-high 23 points, Marcus Sasser added 19 points and a career-best seven rebounds, and No. 3 Houston defeated Oral Roberts 83-45 on Monday night.

Mark had 19 points and Sasser scored 15 in the first half as Houston (3-0) built a 51-24 lead at halftime. The duo combined to shoot 15 of 28 for the game.

Terrence Arceneaux had 14 points and five rebounds, and Ja'Vier Francis added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Houston shot 52% and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 52-30. The Cougars held a 42-8 advantage in points in the paint.

DeShang Weaver scored 12 points, and Connor Vanover had 11 points and five rebounds for the Eagles (1-2). Preseason Summit League player of the year Max Abmas was held to three points on 1-of-13 shooting, including 1 for 9 on 3-pointers.

Oral Roberts shot 23% and finished 8 of 38 on 3s.

Houston used a 21-2 run over 6 1/2 minutes of the first half to open a 29-8 lead on a layup by Mark. Sasser and Mark combined to score 19 points during the spurt.

BIG PICTURE

Oral Roberts: The Eagles struggled early and could not recover. Oral Roberts was 1 for 15 from the field to start the game and missed 12 straight shots during that stretch. They used three of their four timeouts in the first 11 minutes.

Houston: The Cougars were more physical and outhustled Oral Roberts throughout, leading to their edge in the paint and on the boards. Houston shot 56% in the first half. The Cougars have scored at least 81 points in each of their first three games.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

Houston observed a moment of silence before the game for victims of the University of Virginia shooting. The school put the numbers 1, 15 and 41 on the scoreboards to remember Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry.

UP NEXT

Oral Roberts: Plays at Texas Southern on Tuesday.

Houston: Will host Texas Southern on Wednesday.

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