HOUSTON — Host Houston hit 16 of 24 shots from behind the arc Wednesday night with former star Hakeem Olajuwon watching from courtside as the No. 17 Cougars took a 94-50 American Athletic Conference win over East Carolina.
The Cougars improved to 19-1 overall and 6-1 in the AAC.
Houston was 29 for 56 overall from the floor, 51.8 percent.
“They’re hard to beat when they don’t shoot the ball well, and when they shoot it like that, it’s just a double-edged sword,” said Pirates coach Joe Dooley.
ECU (8-10, 1-5) plays South Florida (13-6, 3-4) in Greenville on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Bulls topped Wichita State, 54-41, on Tuesday to end a three-game losing streak.
Seth LeDay led the Pirates with 12 points and five rebounds. Isaac Fleming hit four of seven field goal attempts for ECU and finished with 11 points.
Houston limited Pirate freshman Jayden Gardner to eight points. Gardner came into the game with a 19.8 scoring average, tops in the AAC.
ECU trailed 21-15 after a layup by Fleming when the Cougars embarked on a decisive 26-9 run. The visitors faced a 49-26 deficit at the half.
The Pirates went 20 of 62 from the field, 32.3 percent, including two for 22 on 3-pointers, 9.1 percent. Houston won the battle on the boards, 47-25.
Armoni Brooks had 17 points in 21 minutes to lead the Cougars offensively. Nate Hinton added 13 points. Corey Davis Jr. and Cedrick Alley Jr. had 12 points each. Fabian White Jr. tallied 11.
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