Cryer has 18 points to lead No. 6 Houston to 65-49 victory over Towson at the Charleston Classic
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) LJ Cryer scored 18 points and No. 6 Houston used a 19-4 run in the first half to take control on the way to a 65-49 victory over Towson on Thursday night to advance in the Charleston Classic.
Cryer is among several new faces for a program that's still finding its rhythm, according to coach Kelvin Sampson.
“It's still so early in the season, I don't think anybody's looking at their teams as finished products,” he said after his team opened 4-0 for a fourth straight season.
Sampson's team lost a pair of NBA first-rounders in Jerace Walker, the No. 8 pick in the draft, and Marcus Sasser, who was taken 25th. He acknowledges that despite his team's strong start, there's a lot more that must be worked on before the season gets serious.
“We're all just searching and trying to figure out how to fix this, how to fix that,” Sampson said.
The Cougars next take on Utah, which beat Wake Forest 77-70 in the opening round. The Houston-Utah winner earns a spot in Sunday's championship final in the eight-team event.
Cryer got Houston off to a strong start as the team turned a tight game early into a runaway. He had a three-point play and a 3-pointer in the surge as the Cougars moved in front 24-7 after J'wan Roberts' three-point play with 9:11 left before halftime.
Towson (2-2) never got closer than the final score the rest of the way.
Emmanuel Sharp added 14 points. He and Cryer each had three of Houston's seven 3-pointers. Roberts finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Cougars, a No. 1 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, have opened strong this season. They started with three victories by 30 points or more before heading to Charleston, then leading Towson by 25 points midway through the second half.
Towson struggled to find its shot, especially from the outside, where it made just four of 15 attempts from behind the arc.
Christian May had 10 points for the Tigers.
THE BIG PICTURE
Towson: The Tigers will need to become more accurate if they hope to contend in the Coastal Athletic Association, formerly known as the Colonial Athletic Association. Towson shot just 25% in the first half (5 of 20) to put themselves in a big hole.
Houston: These tournaments are an early chance to give teams a look at what they might face come conference and NCAA postseasons. The Cougars, led by coach Kelvin Sampson, handled the first test well, but figure to have a sterner opponent in either the Pac-12's Utah or the ACC's Wake on Friday.
FAULTY FINISH
Sampson will want to see the Cougars clean up their late-game execution. Houston made just one of its last 11 field goal attempts and didn't have a basket for almost the final four minutes. The cold finish allowed Towson to tighten up what had been a comfortable cushion for the Cougars.
UP NEXT
Towson faces Wake Forest on Friday night.
Houston takes on Utah earlier Friday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Ja'Vier Francis vs. Charles Thompson (Jamal Shead gains possession) | |||
19:42 | Ja'Vier Francis misses two point jump shot | |||
19:40 | Charles Thompson defensive rebound | |||
19:09 | Tigers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
18:44 | Damian Dunn misses two point jump shot | |||
18:42 | Charles Thompson defensive rebound | |||
18:36 | Charles Thompson turnover (lost ball) (Jamal Shead steals) | |||
18:31 | +3 | LJ Cryer makes three point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists) | 3-0 | |
17:58 | Tyler Tejada misses three point jump shot | |||
17:56 | Jamal Shead defensive rebound | |||
17:42 | +2 | Jamal Shead makes two point jump shot | 5-0 | |
17:25 | J'wan Roberts blocks Rahdir Hicks's two point layup | |||
17:23 | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | |||
17:13 | Damian Dunn misses two point jump shot | |||
17:11 | Tyler Tejada defensive rebound | |||
16:57 | +3 | Christian May makes three point jump shot (Rahdir Hicks assists) | 5-3 | |
16:32 | J'wan Roberts offensive foul (Rahdir Hicks draws the foul) | |||
16:32 | J'wan Roberts turnover (offensive foul) | |||
16:23 | Christian May misses two point jump shot | |||
16:21 | Mylik Wilson defensive rebound | |||
16:14 | +2 | LJ Cryer makes two point jump shot | 7-3 | |
16:14 | Tomiwa Sulaiman shooting foul (LJ Cryer draws the foul) | |||
16:14 | +1 | LJ Cryer makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 8-3 | |
15:54 | +2 | Tomiwa Sulaiman makes two point layup | 8-5 | |
15:37 | LJ Cryer misses three point jump shot | |||
15:35 | Charles Thompson defensive rebound | |||
15:09 | Tyler Tejada misses two point jump shot | |||
15:07 | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | |||
14:40 | Damian Dunn misses three point jump shot | |||
14:38 | Charles Thompson defensive rebound | |||
14:38 | Joseph Tugler personal foul | |||
14:38 | TV timeout | |||
14:24 | Mylik Wilson personal foul (Tomiwa Sulaiman draws the foul) | |||
14:05 | Mylik Wilson blocks Dylan Williamson's two point jump shot | |||
14:03 | Cougars defensive rebound | |||
13:43 | +3 | Emanuel Sharp makes three point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists) | 11-5 | |
13:24 | Dylan Williamson turnover (bad pass) (Mylik Wilson steals) | |||
13:21 | Emanuel Sharp turnover (bad pass) | |||
12:50 | Dylan Williamson misses three point jump shot | |||
12:48 | Tomiwa Sulaiman offensive rebound | |||
12:33 | Tyler Tejada misses two point jump shot | |||
12:31 | Messiah Jones offensive rebound | |||
12:26 | Tigers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
12:13 | Terrance Arceneaux misses two point jump shot | |||
12:11 | Jamal Shead offensive rebound | |||
12:01 | +3 | LJ Cryer makes three point jump shot | 14-5 | |
11:29 | Ja'Vier Francis shooting foul (Messiah Jones draws the foul) | |||
11:29 | TV timeout | |||
11:29 | Messiah Jones misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
11:29 | +1 | Messiah Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-6 | |
11:18 | +2 | Ja'Vier Francis makes two point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists) | 16-6 | |
10:49 | Christian May misses three point jump shot | |||
10:47 | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | |||
10:25 | Tyler Tejada shooting foul (Emanuel Sharp draws the foul) | |||
10:25 | +1 | Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 17-6 | |
10:25 | +1 | Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 18-6 | |
10:25 | +1 | Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 19-6 | |
10:10 | Dylan Williamson misses two point jump shot | |||
10:08 | Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound | |||
10:05 | Official timeout | |||
9:52 | +2 | J'wan Roberts makes two point jump shot | 21-6 | |
9:32 | Emanuel Sharp shooting foul (Mekhi Lowery draws the foul) | |||
9:32 | +1 | Mekhi Lowery makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-7 | |
9:32 | Mekhi Lowery misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
9:32 | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | |||
9:12 | +2 | J'wan Roberts makes two point jump shot | 23-7 | |
9:12 | Charles Thompson shooting foul (J'wan Roberts draws the foul) | |||
9:12 | +1 | J'wan Roberts makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 24-7 | |
8:58 | Christian May misses three point jump shot | |||
8:56 | Jamal Shead defensive rebound | |||
8:32 | Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot | |||
8:30 | LJ Cryer offensive rebound | |||
8:25 | Emanuel Sharp misses two point jump shot | |||
8:23 | Charles Thompson defensive rebound | |||
8:10 | Tyler Coleman misses two point jump shot | |||
8:08 | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | |||
7:47 | Jamal Shead misses two point jump shot | |||
7:45 | Tyler Coleman defensive rebound | |||
7:36 | +2 | Charles Thompson makes two point layup (Dylan Williamson assists) | 24-9 | |
7:33 | TV timeout | |||
7:22 | LJ Cryer misses three point jump shot | |||
7:20 | Tyler Tejada defensive rebound | |||
6:55 | Dylan Williamson misses three point jump shot | |||
6:53 | Cougars defensive rebound | |||
6:34 | J'wan Roberts misses two point layup | |||
6:32 | Rahdir Hicks defensive rebound | |||
6:09 | Messiah Jones personal foul | |||
6:08 | Christian May misses three point jump shot | |||
6:06 | J'wan Roberts defensive rebound | |||
6:06 | Cougars turnover | |||
6:04 | LJ Cryer personal foul | |||
5:53 | Charles Thompson offensive foul (Joseph Tugler draws the foul) | |||
5:53 | Charles Thompson turnover (offensive foul) | |||
5:32 | LJ Cryer misses three point jump shot | |||
5:30 | Tyler Tejada defensive rebound | |||
5:06 | Messiah Jones personal foul | |||
5:06 | LJ Cryer misses two point jump shot | |||
5:06 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
5:06 | LJ Cryer misses two point jump shot | |||
5:06 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
4:45 | +2 | Christian May makes two point layup | 24-11 | |
4:14 | Rahdir Hicks shooting foul (LJ Cryer draws the foul) | |||
4:14 | +1 | LJ Cryer makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-11 | |
4:14 | +1 | LJ Cryer makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-11 | |
3:58 | Terrance Arceneaux personal foul (Rahdir Hicks draws the foul) | |||
3:58 | TV timeout | |||
3:58 | +1 | Rahdir Hicks makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-12 | |
3:58 | +1 | Rahdir Hicks makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-13 | |
3:48 | +3 | Terrance Arceneaux makes three point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists) | 29-13 | |
3:14 | +2 | Christian May makes two point layup (Dylan Williamson assists) | 29-15 | |
2:56 | +2 | Ja'Vier Francis makes two point dunk (Jamal Shead assists) | 31-15 | |
2:24 | Rahdir Hicks misses two point jump shot | |||
2:22 | Tyler Coleman offensive rebound | |||
2:21 | LJ Cryer personal foul (Tyler Coleman draws the foul) | |||
2:21 | Tyler Coleman misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
2:21 | Damian Dunn defensive rebound | |||
2:08 | Damian Dunn turnover (lost ball) | |||
1:50 | Ja'Vier Francis personal foul (Charles Thompson draws the foul) | |||
1:50 | +1 | Charles Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-16 | |
1:50 | +1 | Charles Thompson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-17 | |
1:40 | Mekhi Lowery blocks Damian Dunn's two point layup | |||
1:38 | Joseph Tugler offensive rebound | |||
1:26 | Jamal Shead turnover (bad pass) (Rahdir Hicks steals) | |||
1:11 | Rahdir Hicks turnover (bad pass) (Damian Dunn steals) | |||
1:08 | +2 | Jamal Shead makes two point layup (Damian Dunn assists) | 33-17 | |
1:08 | Charles Thompson shooting foul (Jamal Shead draws the foul) | |||
1:08 | +1 | Jamal Shead makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 34-17 | |
0:50 | Christian May misses two point jump shot | |||
0:48 | Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound | |||
0:41 | Damian Dunn misses three point jump shot | |||
0:39 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
0:35 | Tigers 30 second timeout | |||
0:13 | Chase Paar turnover (lost ball) (Jamal Shead steals) | |||
0:05 | Joseph Tugler misses two point jump shot | |||
0:03 | Jamal Shead offensive rebound | |||
0:01 | +3 | Emanuel Sharp makes three point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists) | 37-17 | |
0:00 | End of period |