HOUSTON 84, GEORGIA STATE 55
Cougars make quick work of Georgia State in Round 1 of NCAA Tournament
Mar 22, 2019, 8:17 pm
Dejon Jarreau and the Cougars were flying high. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Houston Cougars won their opening game in the NCAA Tournament, knocking off a badly overmatched Georgia State team 84-55.
Here are five quick highlights:
1) Corey Davis is for real
Davis had another monster game with 26 points, five rebounds and six assists. He hit 7 of 17 3-pointers and helped the Cougars put the game away early.
2) Defense carries the day
The Cougars stifled Georgia State, which shot just 30 percent for the game and made only 6 of 23 3-pointers.
3) And that rebounding...
The Cougars have won all year with defense and rebounding. We already mentioned the defense; they also out rebounded Georgia State 51-27 in a dominant effort.
4) Playing physical
The Cougars were able to beat down the Panthers, and did not commit a lot of fouls doing it (14). If the refs let them play, the Cougars can be very dangerous moving forward.
5) Coming up
The Cougars will face Ohio State in the next round. OSU has good size but is slow. If UH can get out and run, this should be a win.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.