Although head coach Kelvin Sampson’s lineup trickery started the game with Houston characteristically turning the ball over three times in three minutes, the tactic worked as the Cougars took down the SMU Mustangs 71-62 Wednesday night at Fertitta Center.
Sampson’s lineup, which came about after he said he wasn’t satisfied with the team’s identity, saw junior DeJon Jarreau and freshman Marcus Sasser start in place of sophomore Quentin Grimes and Caleb Mills.
The Cougars, now 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the American Athletic Conference, held their own to start the game, going up 5-2 early before going back and forth with the Mustangs for much of the first half.