Memphis and Temple both picked up victories in American Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday, December 6.
Memphis 85, VCU 80 (OT) - Box Score
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) David Jones had 23 points in Memphis' 85-80 overtime win over VCU on Wednesday night.
Jones added eight rebounds and four steals for the Tigers (6-2). Jahvon Quinerly scored 20 points and added six assists. Caleb Mills had 17 points and was 4-of-6 shooting and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Toibu Lawal led the way for the Rams (4-5) with 16 points and eight rebounds. VCU also got 14 points, five assists and two steals from Max Shulga. In addition, Alphonzo Billups III had 13 points.
Temple 85, Bloomburg 55 - Box Score
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Joran Riley scored 16 points and Temple beat Bloomsburg (PA) 85-55 on Wednesday night.
Riley had eight rebounds and three blocks for the Owls (5-3). Zion Stanford scored 14 point and Shane Dezonie added 13.
The Huskies were led by Louie Wild, who recorded 12 points. Matt Bengel added nine points and two steals.
No. 2 Houston 75, Rice 39 - Box Score
HOUSTON (AP) L.J. Cryer scored 15 points, Emanuel Sharp added 12 and No. 3 Houston beat Rice 75-39 Wednesday night.
Cryer, who hit five 3-pointers, has scored in double-figures in eight straight games. Sharp had nine points in the first half, all in a 22-4 run that gave the Cougars (9-0) a 30-13 lead with five minutes remaining in the half. Houston led 34-18 at halftime.
“I mainly try to get it started on the defensive end or on the boards,” Sharp said of his offense. “That’s what the coaches tell me is the best way. If you go out there trying to get it off on the offensive end, it’s most likely not going to come. Just trying to get comfortable on defense, and with my rebounding, usually translates to my offense.”
Ja’Vier Francis and Damian Dunn each scored 10 points for Houston, which shot 47% and 8 of 22 on 3-pointers.
Houston won its 10th straight home game dating back to last season and opened 9-0 for the second straight season. The Cougars forced Rice into 21 turnovers, which they converted into 26 points and held a 43-29 advantage in rebounding.
“We’ve been working at this since June, so there shouldn’t be a certain five better players on the court that play better defense than others,” Sharp said. “That’s what our strength is this year is our depth. Just being able to sub guys in and out and having that same defensive intensity over 40 minutes is what makes us such a good defensive team.”
Houston entered leading the nation in scoring defense, allowing 50.4 points per game and were second in opponents’ field goal percentage with 34.9%.
“We’re getting better,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said of his team's defense. “Our responsibilities, execution. It’s not easy being a good defensive team. It’s not. Not all defensive teams are built equal. They’re all different.”
Alem Huseinovic scored 10 points, and Keanu Dawes added seven points for Rice (3-6). The Owls shot 29% and were 5 of 21 on 3s.
“They’re the best one,” Rice coach Scott Pera said of Houston’s defense. “They’re just so good. They’re just so connected and play so hard. It’s impressive to watch and fun to watch. It’s scary to watch on tape when you know you have to play them.”
Arizona State 76, SMU 74 - Box Score
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Jose Perez scored 20 points, Frankie Collins added 17, and Arizona State rallied in the second half to defeat SMU 76-74 on Wednesday night.
Tyreek Smith, Chuck Harris and Zhuric Phelps scored four points each - all in the paint - and the Mustangs broke open a close game near the midway point of the second half, leading 63-50. But Arizona State, which is accustomed to second-half comebacks, stormed back to take a 68-66 lead at the 5-minute mark. The 16-5 run began with a 3-pointer from Collins and was capped off by three consecutive dunks, two of them by Collins.
The Sun Devils pushed their lead to six while SMU was mired in a 1-for-10 shooting slump. SMU got within three points twice in the final minute, but Arizona State made enough free throws to lead by five with three seconds left. SMU's Phelps made a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.
It was Arizona State's 41st win after trailing at halftime in the Bobby Hurley era (seven seasons).
The Sun Devils cashed in with 32 free throws in 43 attempts to overcome 36.5% shooting. SMU shot 45.3% and made 10 more field goals than Arizona State but was only 10 for 19 from the line.
Phelps led SMU (6-4) with 24 points and nine rebounds. Harris scored 17 and Smith added 12.
Alonzo Gaffney added 12 points for Arizona State (6-2).
Sparked by a personal 7-0 run from Kamari Lands, the Sun Devils built an eight-point lead near the 12-minute mark of the first half. The Mustangs came right back and after opening the game 6 of 17 from the field, they made five of their next 10 and tied it at 26 on a three-point play by Phelps. Later in the half, a 7-0 run put the Mustangs up by six points and they went on to lead 40-36 at the break.