Grimes scores 33 points as No. 12 Houston beats Western Kentucky

HOUSTON (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 33 points and had six rebounds to help No. 12 Houston beat Western Kentucky 81-57 on Thursday night.

Grimes scored 21 points in the first half, including 18 straight at one point. The junior guard finished 11 of 21 from the field, making 8 of 16 on 3-pointers.

Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark each had 12 points, and DeJon Jarreau had nine points for Houston (19-3). The Cougars shot 46%, including 13 of 31 on 3-pointers.

Houston forced the Hilltoppers (15-5) into 20 turnovers, which they turned into 27 points.

Taveion Hollingsworth had 17 points, and Charles Bassey added nine points and seven rebounds for Western Kentucky, which saw its six-game winning streak snapped. The Hilltoppers shot 42%.

Bassey, the Hilltoppers’ leading scorer with 18 points a game, was double-teamed throughout. He finished 3 of 7 from the field.

Trailing 40-39 early in the second half, Houston used an 18-2 run to take a 15-point lead on a 3-pointer by Jarreau with 13 ½ minutes remaining. Jarreau had seven points in the spurt.

Western Kentucky got no closer than 12 the rest of the way.

BIG PICTURE

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers missed a chance to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume with a marquee win. Western Kentucky, which leads the Conference USA East Division, played its third game since Jan. 24 and first since Feb. 13.

Houston: The Cougars, who extended their home winning streak to 23 games, helped strengthen their case for a higher NCAA Tournament seed. … The Cougars finished with eight blocks and 13 steals and committed nine turnovers.

UP NEXT

Western Kentucky: Hosts Florida International on Sunday and Monday.

Houston: Hosts South Florida on Sunday.