No. 3 Houston too much for West Virginia men

HOUSTON — L.J. Cryer scored 20 points, Damian Dunn added 14 points and No. 3 Houston improved to 14-0 with an 89-55 win over West Virginia in the Cougars’ inaugural Big 12 contest Saturday.

Patrick Suemnick had 12 points and five rebounds, and Noah Farrakhan added nine points for West Virginia (5-9, 0-1 Big 12). The Mountaineers shot 32% and were 4 of 23 on 3-pointers.

RaeQuan Battle, who had led the Mountaineers with 27 points per game, finished with four points on 1-of-9 shooting.

Cryer scored 16 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting, including four 3-pointers, as Houston (14-0) shot 58% as a team and took a 48-22 lead into halftime. Cryer has scored at least 20 points in five games this season.

Ja’Vier Francis had 13 points and five rebounds, and Jamal Shead had eight points and 11 assists for Houston, which shot 53% overall, including 9 of 18 on 3-pointers.

Houston extended its home winning streak to 14 games. The Cougars improved to 14-0 for the third time in school history, joining the 1967-68 and 2018-19 teams.

The Cougars forced 12 turnovers and turned them into 14 points. Houston also had a 48-20 advantage in points in the paint.

West Virginia’s 22 first-half points were the fewest points the Mountaineers have scored in a first half this season and tied for the fewest points they have scored in any half this season.

West Virginia hosts Kansas State on Tuesday.