LJ Cryer, No. 17 Houston dominate poor-shooting Butler

LJ Cryer scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and Emanuel Sharp finished with 16 points as the 17th-ranked Houston Cougars rolled over the visiting Butler Bulldogs 79-51 on Saturday.

Cryer scored 10 of the Cougars' opening 14 points in the second half to help Houston (5-3) seize control en route to its 26th consecutive home win, tied for the longest active streak in the nation.

Butler (7-2) had its six-game winning streak snapped.

Cryer and Sharp drilled four 3-pointers apiece while Terrance Arceneaux had 14 points off the bench. Milos Uzan added 13 points.

Houston shot 66.7 percent after the break.

Patrick McCaffery and Augusto Cassia tallied 11 points each for Butler. Senior forward Jahmyl Telfort averaged 22.3 points over the prior three games but scored just four points on Saturday.

Cryer converted a running floater at the 14:15 mark of the second half to extend Houston's lead to 42-30. When Uzan buried a jumper two minutes later, Butler trailed by 16 and called a timeout to stem the tide. That move failed to get the Bulldogs going.

Sharp later drilled three 3-pointers in about a two-minute span that helped the Cougars expand their lead to 66-43 with 5:45 remaining.

Butler, which shot 28.3 percent for the game, struggled from the opening tip. The Bulldogs started 0 for 7 from the floor before Pierre Brooks II snapped hit a jumper.

Butler remained within striking distance courtesy of Houston turnovers by closed an early double-digit deficit to 18-12 when McCaffery stroked consecutive 3-pointers.

Butler started 2 for 18 before McCaffery found his stroke. Houston closed the half with an Arceneaux jumper and a dunk from J'Wan Roberts, whose 12 rebounds lead the Cougars' 41-22 dominance on the glass.

Butler trailed 28-18 at the intermission after shooting 5 for 25 from the floor, including 1 for 10 inside the arc. Houston forward Joseph Tugler grabbed six of his eight rebounds before the break.

--Field Level Media