Dedan Thomas Jr. scores 16 points and No. 10 Houston opens season with 94-55 win over La Salle

Published Nov. 2, 2026 11:49 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 16 points, Corey Hadnot II added 14 and No. 10 Houston opened its season with a 94-55 win over La Salle on Monday night.

Delrecco Gillespie had 13 points — 11 in the first half — and Chase McCarty scored all 10 of his points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cougars built a 43-23 halftime lead. Arafan Diane also scored 10 for Houston.

The Cougars shot 54% and outrebounded the Explorers 47-32. Houston also turned 19 turnovers into 25 points and had a 44-10 scoring advantage in the paint.

Kam Burton scored 15 points and Devin Booker added 12 for the Explorers. La Salle shot 25% and went 8 of 39 on 3-pointers.

The teams combined for 46 fouls, three technicals and one flagrant foul. Houston finished 27 of 37 from the free-throw line, while La Salle was 17 of 23.

Houston took a 20-3 lead on a layup by Braden East with 11 minutes left in the first half. La Salle responded with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to nine on a 3-pointer by Burton.

The Cougars outscored La Salle 23-12 to end the half, with McCarty scoring his 10 points over the final nine minutes.