No. 3 Houston defends home floor, thumps Texas 82-61

AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 3 Houston used a big surge near the end of the first half Saturday to run away with an 82-61 win over the Texas Longhorns at Fertitta Center.

After Tyrese Hunter sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 17-17 with 11:03 left in the opening half, the Cougars outscored the Longhorns 23-10 the rest of the way to close the half with a 40-27 lead. Houston went on a 6-0 flurry over the final 0:53 to increase its lead in front of a raucous home crowd.

Houston scored 19 points off 14 Texas turnovers and was led by LJ Cryer's 26 points on 9 of 13 shooting. Cryer was terrific from 3-point range, connecting on 6 of 9 attempts. Jamal Shead scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Emanuel Sharp chipped in 15 points for the Cougars.

Dylan Disu led Texas with 16 points while Chendall Weaver had 11. Houston came into the game as the best defensive team in Division I, allowing teams to score 57 points per game, and the Cougars held the Longhorns to 39% from the field. Texas guard Max Abmas had a tough game shooting, going 2 for 14 with just seven points. He's now six points away from scoring 3,000 in his collegiate career.

Houston outrebounded Texas 45-34 and shot almost 47% from the field with 13 steals on the defensive end. The win keeps Houston undefeated at home at 14-0, and they've won all their Big 12 home games by at least 15 points.

Texas (16-9, 5-7 Big 12) has a quick turnaround for its next game, taking on Kansas State on Monday at Moody Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.