DeJon Jarreau came off the bench to score 14 points and grab 12 rebounds, sparking No. 13 Houston to a physical, 73-66 victory over Temple on Thursday, avenging the Cougars' only loss of the season.
The Cougars won despite getting just three points from leading scorer Armoni Brooks, who was saddled with foul trouble the entire game and played just 14 minutes. Brooks hit the first field goal of the game, a 3-pointer, and never scored again. He finished 1-for-3 from the floor.
Corey Davis Jr. led the Cougars with 24 points, going 12-for-13 from the free-throw line, including 8-for-8 in the final 2:04 to seal the win.
The Cougars (21-1, 8-1 American Athletic Conference) extended their home winning streak to 31, the longest active run in the country. They have won six in a row overall.
Quinton Rose led Temple (15-6, 5-3) with 26 points. The Owls lost for the third time in four games.
Jarreau's coast-to-coast layup with 8:29 to go gave Houston its biggest lead (nine) before his layup with 4:56 left increased the Cougars' advantage to 63-53.
Houston took a 35-29 lead into halftime, starting the game on a 7-0 run and ending the half on an 8-2 run.
Temple forced the Cougars into six turnovers -- including five steals -- to stay within reach at the break.
The Owls missed their first six shots from the floor to start the game and made just two of their first 14. However, Brooks picked up his second foul at the 14:30 mark.
Further, Houston's Fabian White picked up two fouls, and teammate Nate Hinton took an elbow to the nose, causing him to sit out a big stretch of the half to stem the bleeding.
Davis led the Cougars with nine points at the half.
Shizz Alston, Rose and Alani Moore II each led Temple with six first-half points. The Owls shot just 30.6 percent from the floor before the break.
Temple continues its road trip with a game at Tulane on Saturday, the first meeting between the Owls and the Green Wave this season. The Cougars are off for a week before their next game at UCF on Feb. 7.
--Field Level Media
Temple | Houston | |
Quinton Rose 26 | Scoring | Corey Davis Jr. 24 |
Quinton Rose 4 | Assists | Galen Robinson Jr. 3 |
De'Vondre Perry 8 | Rebounds | Dejon Jarreau 12 |
Quinton Rose 7 | Free Throws Made | Corey Davis Jr. 12 |
De'Vondre Perry 2 | Steals | Armoni Brooks 1 |
Shizz Alston Jr. 1 | Blocks | Breaon Brady 2 |