Walker scores 23, No. 2 Houston crushes SMU 87-53

HOUSTON (AP) — Jarace Walker tied his season high with 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Marcus Sasser added 14 points and a career high-tying seven assists and No. 2 Houston used a big first half to beat SMU 87-53 on Thursday night.

Walker scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the first half as Houston (15-1, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) built a 49-23 halftime lead. The Cougars have won six straight games since their only loss on Dec. 10 against Alabama.

J’Wan Roberts had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Tramon Mark and Terrance Arceneaux both scored 10 points for Houston, which shot 46%, including 10 of 30 on 3-pointers. Houston outrebounded SMU 54-26 and held a 35-6 advantage in points in the paint.

Efe Odigie had 14 points and Zach Nutall added 12 for SMU (6-9, 1-1). Zhuric Phelps, who was leading SMU with 18.4 points per game, finished with six points on 2-of-11 shooting. The Mustangs shot 31%, including 3 of 20 on 3-pointers.

SMU took a 2-0 lead on a jumper by Odigie before Houston dominated from there, scoring the next 24 points over the next seven minutes to take a 24-2 lead on a dunk by Ja’Vier Francis with 12 1/2 minutes remaining. Walker had 11 points during the run.

BIG PICTURE

SMU: The Mustangs fell to 0-3 against Top 25 opponents this season. … After making its first shot, SMU missed eight straight shots and committed four turnovers while Houston was on the game-deciding run. The Mustangs shot 28% in the first half.

Houston: The Cougars dominated in every aspect of the game, scoring 21 points off 11 SMU turnovers and holding a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint. … The Cougars dished out 17 assists on 31 made field goals. … Houston has won six straight against SMU in Houston.

UP NEXT

SMU: Travels to Central Florida on Sunday.

Houston: Travels to Cincinnati on Sunday.