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Houston forward Ja'Vier Francis (5) fouls West Virginia guard Javon Small (7) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Houston, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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West Virginia men's basketball cuts into lead, but Houston pulls away in second half

ASSOCIATED PRESS

West Virginia men's basketball cuts into lead, but Houston pulls away in second half

Amani Hansberry paces Mountaineers with 16 points

HOUSTON — J’Wan Roberts scored a season-high 22 points, L.J. Cryer added 18 and No. 10 Houston men’s basketball beat West Virginia, 70-54,on Wednesday night for its ninth straight win.

Roberts had 17 points in the first half on 8-of-10 shooting. Emanuel Sharp, who finished with 14 points, added 12 as Houston took a 40-27 lead into halftime.

Houston (13-3, 5-0 Big 12) shot 49% overall and was 11 of 26 on 3-pointers in winning its 32nd straight home game.

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Amani Hansberry scored 16 points and Javon Small added 13 points and eight assists for West Virginia (12-4, 3-2). The Mountaineers shot 44% and were 9 of 22 on 3-pointers.

West Virginia guard Javon Small, right, shoots for a basket as Colorado forward Trevor Baskin defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Associated Press
Javon Small scores 26 points as No. 21 West Virginia men's basketball holds off Colorado

After trailing 18-13, Houston used a 20-3 run to open a 12-point lead on Roberts' hook shot with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half.

Takeaways

West Virginia: Small, who leads the Big 12 in scoring with 19.8 points per game, started 3 for 4 from the field — including three 3-pointers in the first six minutes as the Mountaineers built a five-point lead. But he went 1 for 7 the rest of the way and was scoreless in the second half as Houston pressured him.

Houston: The Cougars improved to 1-3 in Quad 1 games this season. Houston could have at least another 10 opportunities for Quad 1 wins over its final 15 regular-season games.

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Key moment

West Virginia used a 12-2 run to cut Houston’s lead to 51-48, but the Cougars responded with a 14-0 spurt that started with a putback dunk by Ja’Vier Francis. The spree was capped by a 3 from Milos Uzan to give Houston a 17-point lead with seven minutes left.

Key stat

The Cougars forced 12 turnovers and converted them into 25 points.

Up next

Houston visits Central Florida on Saturday, and West Virginia hosts No. 2 Iowa State the same day.

First Published: January 16, 2025, 3:23 a.m.
Updated: January 16, 2025, 3:27 a.m.

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