HOUSTON – University of Houston senior guard Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, junior forward J’Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and No. 3 Houston opened the season with an 83-36 win over Northern Colorado inside the Fertitta Center on Monday night.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston’s run to the Elite Eight with a foot injury.
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‘’It was exciting, fun, a lot of emotions really,’’ Sasser said. ‘’It’s been almost 11 months since I have been out there with this group of guys. Being out there with them tonight, it was real fun and exciting to see all the hard work we’ve been putting in since June pay off.’’
Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
‘’It’s been a wonderful journey,’’ Sampson said. ‘’I have so many people to thank.’’
Making his Houston debut, redshirt freshman guard Emanuel Sharp scored 11 points, junior point guard Jamal Shead had nine points and nine assists, and freshman forward Jarace Walker had eight points and 12 rebounds for Houston. The Cougars shot 44% and were 11 of 29 on 3-pointers.
‘’Everything we do is accountability,’’ Sampson said. ‘’I do not say that’s OK. There is accountability. Our standards, our expectations, our accountability. It starts with our defense. We’re not always going to shoot well. That’s OK. Most teams don’t shoot well against us either.’’
The Cougars, who started the season with their highest ranking since the 1967-68 team began at No. 2, have won 14 straight openers.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears. Daylen Kountz, who averaged 22.1 points per game last season, finished with three points. Northern Colorado shot 26% and went 5 of 21 on 3-pointers.
‘’For us, we’re still a developing team figuring out how to score,’’ Northern Colorado coach Steve Smiley said. ‘’When you look at the box score, guys that need to score starting with Daylen ... he didn’t make a shot tonight.’’
Houston finished the first half on a 10-2 run to open a 32-13 lead on a 3-pointer by Sasser. The 13 points were the second fewest allowed in a first half in school history. The Cougars gave up 12 to UConn on Dec. 28, 2016.