Freshman guard Nate Hinton shouldered the early load until a handful of others caught fire down the stretch of the first half as No. 17 Houston claimed a 77-65 American Athletic Conference win over host Tulsa on Sunday at the Reynolds Center.

Hinton scored 11 of his 13 points prior to the intermission, propping up the offense until a sudden barrage of 3-pointers enabled the Cougars (20-1, 7-1 AAC) to secure their sixth win in seven games against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane (12-9, 2-6) fell to 10-2 at home and have lost five of their last six games overall.

The Cougars again dominated on the glass, posting a plus-25 rebounding margin (49-24) that included 16 offensive boards. Reserve center Chris Harris Jr. had 10 rebounds and starting forward Breaon Brady collected nine, while Houston finished with a 22-0 advantage on second-chance points.

Armoni Brooks paced the Cougars with 22 points on 6-of-14 3-point shooting. Fabian White Jr. chipped in 14 points and six rebounds for Houston, which has won five consecutive games.

Tulsa trailed by as many as 21 points before slicing that deficit to eight thrice in the waning moments. But the Golden Hurricane finished 15 of 23 from the free-throw line and struggled to generate traction against the Cougars' defense. DaQuan Jeffries led Tulsa with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists while Jeriah Horne chipped in 15 points, five boards and three steals.

The Cougars missed 12 of 13 3-pointers to open the game before a sudden eruption fueled a 24-11 sprint to the break. Brooks made his first 3 at the 6:25 mark for a 24-18 lead before adding another off an inbounds pass, the first of three 3s over three successive possessions. Cedrick Alley Jr. followed with a corner 3 before Corey Davis Jr. converted in transition for a 33-21 lead.

Houston hit 6 of 11 from deep following the sluggish start and, combined with its usually stingy defense, carried a 45-29 lead into halftime. The Golden Hurricane shot 34.4 percent in the first half.

--Field Level Media