Houston wasted no time making a statement in its season opener, rolling past La Salle 94-55 Monday night inside Fertitta Center behind a balanced scoring night and a defense that never let the Explorers settle in.
Senior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. led the way with 16 points, while senior guard Corey Hadnot II chipped in 14. Graduate forward Delrecco Gillespie added 13, with 11 of those coming in the first half, and sophomore forward Chase McCarty scored all 10 of his points before halftime. Freshman center Arafan Diané also reached double figures with 10.
The Cougars built their edge early and kept stretching it. Houston jumped out to a 20-3 lead on a layup by junior forward Braden East with 11 minutes left in the first half, then watched La Salle answer with an 8-0 run to trim the margin to nine on a 3-pointer by Kam Burton. That was as close as the Explorers would get.
Houston closed the half on a 23-12 burst to take a 43-23 lead into the break, with McCarty scoring his 10 points during the final nine minutes of the opening period.
The numbers told the story from there. Houston shot 54% from the field, outrebounded La Salle 47-32 and turned 19 turnovers into 25 points. The Cougars also controlled the paint, outscoring the Explorers 44-10 inside.
La Salle struggled to find any rhythm offensively, shooting 25% overall and going 8-of-39 from 3-point range. Burton finished with 15 points and Devin Booker added 12 for the Explorers, who fell to 0-1.
The game got choppy as well, with the teams combining for 46 fouls, three technicals and one flagrant foul. Houston finished 27-of-37 at the free-throw line, while La Salle went 17-of-23.
The Cougars, now 1-0, head to Lake Tahoe next for a matchup with Cal on Sunday.
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