Written by B. Keith Crear | Photo credit: Oscar Herrera, SFL Staff Photographer
Senior forward J'Wan Roberts scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, senior guard L.J. Cryer contributed 15 points, and Houston beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 82-50 on Saturday.
In the first half, Cryer scored 12 points and Roberts scored 11 points to give Houston a 14-point lead at the half.
"The thing about this team is I don't know what their ceiling is," Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson said. "I've had some teams that I knew they had a lower ceiling. This team has a higher ceiling."
Houston (2-0) shot 42%, including 6-of-22 from 3-point range, led by junior forward Ja'Vier Francis and sophomore guard Emanuel Sharp. They converted 19 points from 17 Islanders turnovers.
"We're still growing, but I like the potential of this team," Sampson said. I think this team can be really good. I really like this team. We have great player leadership."
The Islanders (1-1) shot 30%, but were only 5 of 21 on three-pointers. Lance-Amir Paul scored 10 points, and Jordan Roberts added nine.
A key factor in Houston's victory, according to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Jim Shaw, was the Cougars' 54-41 rebounding edge, particularly their 19-13 advantage in offensive rebounds.
"Unbelievable toughness on their part as far as rebounding the ball," Shaw said. "I'm sure they beat us on the boards quite a bit. The game honors toughness, and they were – at this point – a little tougher than we were."
On a 3-pointer by junior guard Ramon Walker Jr. three minutes after Houston trailed 12-7 in the first half, Houston scored 12 straight points to open a seven-point lead.
A free throw by Owen Dease closed the Islanders' lead to 25-21 with seven minutes left in the first half, but a 3-pointer by Cryer gave the Cougars a 41-27 lead at the break.
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