Grimes scores 22, No. 6 Houston defeats Temple, 76-50
HOUSTON (AP) — Quentin Grimes had 22 points and seven rebounds, Justin Gorham had 14 points and 12 boards and No. 6 Houston beat Temple 76-50 on Tuesday night in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
Grimes scored at least 20 points for the third straight game as the Cougars shot 48%, including 10 of 26 on 3-pointers. Reggie Chaney had 13 points and Tramon Mark scored 12 for Houston (6-0).
J.P. Moorman II scored 12 points and Brendan Barry had nine for Temple (1-1), which shot 29%.
The Cougars outrebounded Temple 43-26, including a 15-9 advantage on the offensive boards. Houston used that advantage for a 17-4 edge in second chance points.
Houston used a 12-2 run over a four-minute span to open up a 25-10 lead on a 3-pointer by DeJon Jarreau with 8:46 left in the first half. The Cougars led 32-22 at the half.
Houston outscored the Owls 23-8 to open the second half and extended its lead to 55-30 on a layup by Chaney with 12:20 remaining. Gorham had eight points in the run.
BIG PICTURE
Temple: The Owls had issues with Houston’s size, especially in the paint where the Cougars held a 30-14 scoring advantage. Temple had 10 assists on 13 made field goals, but the Owls committed 19 turnovers.
Houston: The Cougars won their seventh straight conference opener. Houston committed a season-high 18 turnovers but still held a 19-8 edge in points off turnovers.
WELCOME BACK
Houston’s second leading scorer Marcus Sasser played for the first time since Nov. 29. Sasser had missed the Cougars’ last two games due to injury and COVID-19 protocol. The sophomore finished with five points in 27 minutes. Caleb Mills, the preseason AAC player of the year, was dressed and available but never entered the game. Mills had missed the previous two games because of injury and COVID-19 protocols.
UP NEXT
Temple: Hosts SMU on Dec. 30
Houston: At Central Florida on Saturday.
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