Maurice McNeil's double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds propelled Houston to an 81-58 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Darian Thibodeaux scored 15 points for the Cougars (3-1), and Kendrick Washington had 13, Kirk Van Slyke 11 and Zamal Nixon 10.
Orren Tims scored 18 points for the NAIA Rangers, which counted the game as an exhibition.
McNeil broke a 7-7 tie with 15:30 left in the first half, and the Cougars never trailed thereafter.
Washington's jump shot gave Houston a double-digit lead at 23-13 with 9:21 left in the first half, and the Cougars closed with a 9-2 run to make it 42-25 at the break.
Northwestern Oklahoma State never got closer than 12 points in the second half.
Houston shot well, hitting 50.9 percent (29 of 57) and 53.8 percent from 3-point range (7 of 13).
The Rangers shot just 33.3 percent (22 of 66).
