No. 10 Houston Routs La Salle 94-55 to Open the Season at Fertitta Center
The Cougars turned a 43-23 halftime lead into a 39-point opening-night win, outscoring the Explorers 51-32 after the break in the schools' first meeting since 1975.
HOUSTON - No. 10 Houston opened its season with a rout on Monday night, beating La Salle 94-55 at Fertitta Center behind a wire-to-wire performance that turned a comfortable halftime lead into a 39-point win.
The Cougars led 43-23 at halftime - the margin this station's halftime file recorded - and outscored the Explorers 51-32 in the second half to close it out. Houston set the tone in the opening minute: Dedan Thomas Jr. drained a three-pointer off a Chase McCarty pass at 19:06, Delrecco Gillespie followed with a dunk and a free throw, and after Anthony Finkley's three got La Salle on the board, Joseph Tugler answered with an offensive-glass putback for an 8-3 lead the Cougars never gave back.
It was the schools' first meeting since December 30, 1975, when Houston won 90-87 in Las Vegas, and only the second meeting ever. Kelvin Sampson opened his 13th season in Houston with a 329-91 record at the school; La Salle's Darris Nichols is in his second season, coming off a 9-23 year, while Houston entered off a 30-7 season.
The opener starts a week that takes the Cougars on the road: Houston travels to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, to face California on Sunday, November 8, before the non-conference schedule continues.
