Memphis 73, Houston 54: Avery Woodson established career highs with 23 points and six 3-pointers as the Tigers sped past the Cougars in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Austin Nichols had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots as Memphis (8-4) won its 14th consecutive home game against Houston. Trahson Burrell added 12 points as the Tigers won their fifth straight game.

Devonta Pollard scored 17 points and Jherrod Stiggers added 11 for the Cougars (7-5). Houston shot just 31.3 percent from the field, including 6-of-32 in the second half.

Memphis opened the second half with 12 consecutive points to open up a 14-point lead as the Cougars missed their first 10 field-goal attempts. Shaq Goodwin’s layup gave the Tigers a 55-36 lead with 12:53 remaining and Woodson connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to give Memphis a 71-48 edge with 4:33 left.

Stiggers connected on three 3-pointers over the first 14-plus minutes as Houston took a 27-21 lead. The Tigers answered on an 8-2 run to tie it on Woodson’s 3-pointer before taking a 37-35 lead into the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Cougars are 3-19 when visiting Memphis. … Goodwin was back after serving a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules. … Houston G L.J. Rose returned from an Achilles’ tendon injury and had four points and four assists.