BACK ON TRACK
Houston's resilience shines in win against Oklahoma State
Feb 5, 2025, 1:11 pm
The Coogs beat the Cowboys, 72-63. Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images.
L.J. Cryer scored 18 points, Milos Uzan added 17 points and No. 5 Houston rebounded from its first Big 12 loss of the season with a 72-63 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night.
J’Wan Roberts had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrance Arceneaux had 10 points for Houston (18-4, 10-1 Big 12), which shot 42% and went 8 of 21 on 3-pointers.
The Cougars lost to Texas Tech 82-81 in overtime on Saturday, and improved to 31-2 after a loss since Feb. 1, 2017.
Abou Ousmane scored 16 points, Arturo Dean added 13 points and Bryce Thompson had 11 points for Oklahoma State (11-11, 3-8), which lost for the fourth time in its last five games.
The Cowboys shot 51% and were 7 of 19 on 3-pointers.
Takeaways
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys missed an opportunity for a marquee win after jumping to an 18-9 lead and opening the game shooting 8 of 10 from the field. Oklahoma State had issues with Houston’s defensive pressure and couldn’t stop the Cougars on the boards.
Houston: Missing second-leading scorer Emanuel Sharp and reserve Ja’Vier Francis, who were out of the lineup with injuries, the Cougars started slowly. However, Houston recovered to make 11 of its final 16 field goals of the first half and take a 39-33 lead into halftime.
Key moment
After Oklahoma State cut Houston’s lead to 68-63 with 30 seconds remaining, Mylik Wilson and Cryer each made two free throws to ice the win.
Key stat
Houston outrebounded Oklahoma State 40-24, including an 18-4 advantage in offensive rebounds, which the Cougars turned into 16 second-chance points.
Up next
Houston travels to Colorado on Saturday. Oklahoma State hosts Arizona State on Sunday.
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Fred VanVleet scored 37 points and the surging Houston Rockets won their ninth straight, beating the Miami Heat 102-98 Friday night.
VanVleet shot 13 for 17 from the field and made a season-high 9 of 11 3-pointers as the Rockets extended the league’s longest active winning streak. Houston also snapped a nine-game skid against Miami, which lost its 10th straight. It is the Heat’s longest skid since they lost 11th straight in 2007-08.
Amen Thompson returned after missing the last six games because of a sprained left ankle and finished with 18 points and seven steals while Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith each added 11 points for the Rockets.
Houston rallied from an 11-point deficit early in the third quarter and got to 80-78 on Jalen Green’s jumper to close the period.
Miami’s Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points, his highest total since the Heat acquired him from Golden State for Jimmy Butler on Feb. 6. Kel’el Ware had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Bam Adebayo also scored 16 points for the Heat.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston remained second in the Western Conference.
Heat: Miami squandered its 20th double digit lead that led to a loss. Wiggins’ jump shot two minutes into the third period put the Heat ahead 65-54 before Houston rallied.
Key moment
VanVleet went on a personal 9-2 run to start the fourth that put the Rockets ahead for good. He hit two 3-pointers, a lay-up and made 1 of 2 free throws that gave Houston an 87-84 lead.
Key stat
The Rockets outrebounded the Heat 46-34 for their eighth consecutive game of winning the rebounding edge against their opponent.
Up next
Rockets host Denver on Sunday, and Heat host Charlotte.