Francis, Sasser lead No. 5 Houston past NC A&T 74-46

HOUSTON (AP) — Ja’Vier Francis had career highs of 17 points and 15 rebounds, Marcus Sasser scored 17 points, and No. 5 Houston rebounded from its first loss with a 74-46 win over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night.

Sasser, a preseason All-American, was 6 of 10 from the field after shooting 2 of 11 and scoring nine points in Houston’s 71-65 loss to Alabama on Saturday. Francis was 7 of 10 as Houston (10-1) shot 50% on the night.

Emanuel Sharp scored 10 points off the bench.

Kam Woods scored 26 points to lead the Aggies (4-5). Woods scored 17 of North Carolina A&T’s 21 first-half points and finished 10 of 18 from the field. Demetric Horton added 11 points.

The Cougars outrebounded North Carolina A&T 46-26, including 14-7 on the offensive boards. Houston held a 22-6 advantage in second-chance points and a 42-14 advantage in the paint.

The Aggies shot 29%, including 6 of 25 on 3-pointers, as their three-game winning streak ended.

Leading 19-16 with 8:49 remaining in the first half, Houston closed the half on a 17-5 run to extend its advantage to 36-21. Francis scored six points during the spurt.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina A&T: The Aggies were playing their first game since Nov. 30, when they defeated UNC Greensboro 73-56. ... Houston’s size in the post and ability to get into the paint proved too much for the Aggies.

Houston: The Cougars are 25-1 after a loss under coach Kelvin Sampson since the 2017-18 season. ... Houston got 40 points from its bench. ... After committing four turnovers in the first three minutes, Houston settled down and finished the half with seven giveaways.

UP NEXT

North Carolina A&T: Faces Texas Southern on Saturday at the HBCU Challenge in Las Vegas.

Houston: At No. 2 Virginia on Saturday.

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