Houston guard Rob Gray Jr. scored 15 points, leading the surging Cougars past Tulane 63-45 Tuesday at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston.

Forward Devonta Pollard added 13 points, and forward Danrad Knowles also finished with 13 points for the Cougars (13-2, 2-0 American Athletic Conference). Houston has won five straight games under second-year coach Kelvin Sampson.

Tulane guard Malik Morgan had 11 points, and guard Louis Dabney added eight points for the Green Wave (7-9, 0-3 AAC). Tulane dropped its third straight.

Houston closed out the first half with a 10-0 run and led 37-17 at halftime. Pollard scored the last nine points of the half to put the Cougars in complete command.

The Cougars dominated Tulane on the backboards, outrebounding the Green Wave 47-29. Guard LeRon Barnes came off the Houston bench to grab 14 rebounds.

Picked to finish seventh in the AAC, Houston is tied with SMU atop the conference. The Cougars and Mustangs will meet Jan. 19.