Men's Basketball

The American Today: Houston and SMU win on Sunday

The two American teams in Texas picked up victories on Sunday, as Houston picked up a league win against Rutgers and SMU earned its second victory in as many days with a win against Hofstra.

Houston defended its home court with a 77-55 win in against the Scarlet Knights as F Danrad Knowles paced the Cougars with 16 points and eight rebounds. Houston shot 50 percent from the floor and 44 percent from 3-point range.

SMU handled Hofstra 73-49 in a meeting that was orginally scheduled for December, but was postponed due to inclement weather. The Mustangs had four players score in double figures, including a double- double from F Markus Kennedy, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds. F Cannen Cunningham had a team-high 14 points.

Conference play resumes on Tuesday night as Temple visits UConn and Rutgers continues its Texas trip at SMU.

The Mustangs will conclude a three-games-in-four-days stretch with the matchup against the Scarlet Knights. SMU is looking for its fourth straight win as the Mustangs meet Rutgers for the first time. The Scarlet Knights look to get back to the .500 mark in conference play.

UConn welcomes the Owls to the XL Center, as both teams are eager to bounce back from Saturday setbacks in front of the ESPN College GameDay spotlight. The Huskies boast the best 3-point shooting (41.0 percent) and free throw percentage (77.2 percent) in the conference, while Temple is the only team in The American with four players among the league’s top 11 scorers.