The Cougars were victorious as their stifling defense held the Pilots to only 56 points, which ties the lowest score an opponent has put up against Houston this regular season, in the quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
Houston jumped on Portland from the opening tip, getting a 6-0 lead, and they never looked back.
After the Pilots were able to cut the lead to four at 11-7, the Cougars extended their lead to 11 points, and they were able to keep Portland at bay for the entire game.
Even though Houston’s 3-point shooting was still sub-par for the game, only 8-22, the defensive performance is what carried the team to their dominating win and kept the Pilots grounded for the entire afternoon.