NCAA Second Round - Houston 81, Auburn 64 - Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Marcus Sasser looked just fine, scoring 22 points, and top-seeded Houston stifled local favorite Auburn in the second half for an 81-64 victory in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

The Cougars (33-3) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, returning after the break with a chip on their shoulders.

Essentially shutting down the lane, Houston played with the desperation of a national championship contender that wasn’t ready to suffer the same fate as Purdue and Kansas — No. 1s that already were sent home.

Led by Tramon Mark with 26 points, Houston advanced to face either No. 4 Indiana or No. 5 Miami, which play Sunday, at the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Tigers (21-13) were doomed by a stretch of more than 10 1/2 minutes without a field goal and finished just 4 of 24 from the field in the second half.

Auburn did draw plenty of fouls, only to struggle mightily at the line at 19 of 36. Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome led the Tigers with 14 points apiece.

Sasser had dealt with a groin injury over the past week, but that didn’t seem to cause him any problems. When he swished a 3-pointer to push Houston back ahead, 46-45, he let out an emphatic scream on his way back down the court.

He finished 5 of 9 beyond the arc.

Sasser’s only issue was foul trouble. The All-American guard and his running mate, point guard Jamal Shead, were both forced to the bench with four fouls apiece with the game still in doubt.

But Mark kept the Cougars right on rolling offensively, and the Jarace Walker-led defense just refused to let Auburn back in the game.

Houston had 12 blocks, half of them swatted away by Walker. Houston scored the final nine points to blow it open at the end, with Sasser delivering another key shot from beyond the 3-point stripe.

Auburn ripped off a 17-4 run over the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half. Williams scored eight of those points, swishing a 3-pointer and also converting a three-point play.

Houston missed six of its last eight shots in the half, its only baskets coming on a pair of layups.

But the Cougars would not be denied, even with the Tigers having a home-state edge. Legacy Arena in Birmingham is only about a two-hour drive from their east Alabama campus.

NIT Second Round - Cincinnati 79, Hofstra 65 - Box Score
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Landers Nolley II had 20 points in Cincinnati’s 79-65 victory against Hofstra on Saturday in the NIT.

Nolley added six rebounds for the Bearcats (23-12). Viktor Lakhin scored 16 points and added eight rebounds. David Dejulius had 15 points and nine assists.

The Pride (25-10) were led by Aaron Estrada, who recorded 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Darlinstone Dubar added 16 points and seven rebounds for Hofstra. Tyler Thomas also scored 16 points.

Cincinnati took the lead with 3:40 left in the first half and never looked back. Nolley led his team in scoring with 11 points in the first half to help put them up 40-37 at the break. Cincinnati outscored Hofstra in the second half by 11 points, with Lakhin scoring a team-high 11 points after halftime.

Cincinnati will play Colorado or Utah Valley in the quarterfinals.