MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Emanuel Sharp scored 15 points, Joseph Tugler had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 12 Houston used two big first-half runs to build a 22-point halftime lead in an 87-57 blowout of Kansas State on Saturday.
LJ Cryer and Ja’Vier Francis added 11 points apiece for the Cougars, who cruised to their eighth straight victory in their first trip to Manhattan since 1971. Houston beat the Wildcats by 22 at home last season in their first game as Big 12 foes.
The Cougars (12-3, 4-0) used runs of 16-2 and 18-3 to take a 46-24 halftime lead. Kansas State (7-8, 1-3) managed to close to 60-46 with just under 10 minutes to go, but the Cougars scored the next 12 points to put the game away.
Brendan Hausen hit five 3-pointers and had 15 points for the Wildcats, who were outrebounded 44-20 and outscored 52-18 in the paint. Max Jones added 13 points and four assists.
Takeaways
Houston held its previous seven opponents to 55 points or fewer. But against the Wildcats, the Cougars also showed they could score efficiently from anywhere on the floor.
Kansas State has been prone to game-deciding runs. It was a 15-0 spurt by Oklahoma State to end the first half in a 79-66 loss last week, and it was the Cougars’ two big runs in the first half Saturday that doomed the Wildcats.
Key moment
The Wildcats led 9-5 in the opening minutes when Sharp hit his first 3-pointer. That sent the Cougars on their 16-2 run over more than six minutes that resulted in a double-digit lead they never relinquished.
Key stat
The Cougars did not turn over the ball until there was 13:03 left. They finished with five turnovers for the game.
Up next
Houston plays No. 21 West Virginia on Wednesday night. Kansas State plays Texas Tech on Tuesday night.
