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Francis, Sasser lead No. 5 Houston past NC A&T 74-46

AP
Dec 14, 2022

HOUSTON (AP) Ja'Vier Francis had career highs of 17 points and 15 rebounds, Marcus Sasser scored 17 points, and No. 5 Houston rebounded from its first loss with a 74-46 win over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night.

Sasser, a preseason All-American, was 6 of 10 from the field after shooting 2 of 11 and scoring nine points in Houston's 71-65 loss to Alabama on Saturday.

''It was a great feeling to see the ball go in,'' Sasser said. ''My main focus going into this game was playing hard and trying to rebound and impact the game in different ways. I haven't been shooting it well, so that wasn't really my main focus going into this game. I just went there and played hard and good things happened. The ball started going into the goal.''

Francis was 7 of 10 as Houston (10-1) shot 50% on the night. Emanuel Sharp scored 10 points off the bench.

''I made a conscious effort that our biggest big off the bench was Ja'Vier, our first guard was Emanuel,'' Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''. (Ja'Vier) is going to be good. He just keeps getting better. His confidence is growing.''

Kam Woods scored 26 points to lead the Aggies (4-5). Woods scored 17 of North Carolina A&T's 21 first-half points and finished 10 of 18 from the field. Demetric Horton added 11 points.

''Houston is hard to score against,'' North Carolina A&T coach Phillip Shumpert said. ''They do that to everybody. Relentless pressure. One of the toughest teams in the country. I told our guys that if we can get to that point where we are playing that tough for 40 minutes and put our offense together with it, we will be a successful basketball team.''

The Cougars outrebounded North Carolina A&T 46-26, including 14-7 on the offensive boards. Houston held a 22-6 advantage in second-chance points and a 42-14 advantage in the paint.

Sampson was happy with how his team rebounded from its loss.

''Whoever you play after a game like that, your biggest concern is getting your energy level back up,'' Sampson said. ''It was a quick turnaround, which is hard to do. Where it affects you the most is your legs because these kids play so hard.''

The Aggies shot 29%, including 6 of 25 on 3-pointers, as their three-game winning streak ended.

Leading 19-16 with 8:49 remaining in the first half, Houston closed the half on a 17-5 run to extend its advantage to 36-21. Francis scored six points during the spurt.

''We couldn't score,'' Shumpert said. ''Our defense wasn't bad, but as we went on that scoring drought (to end the first half), they started slowly kept building their lead. . We couldn't hit the basket.''

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina A&T: The Aggies were playing their first game since Nov. 30, when they defeated UNC Greensboro 73-56.

Houston: The Cougars are 25-1 after a loss under Sampson since the 2017-18 season. ... Houston got 40 points from its bench. ... After committing four turnovers in the first three minutes, Houston settled down and finished the half with seven giveaways.

UP NEXT

North Carolina A&T: Faces Texas Southern on Saturday at the HBCU Challenge in Las Vegas.

Houston: At No. 2 Virginia on Saturday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

1st Half
NCAT
Aggies
21
HOU
Cougars
36

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Duncan Powell vs. Jarace Walker (Cougars gains possession)
19:51		Jamal Shead turnover (lost ball) (Duncan Powell steals)
19:42		Kam Woods misses two point layup
19:40		Marcus Watson offensive rebound
19:32		Marcus Watson misses two point layup
19:30		Marcus Sasser defensive rebound
19:25		Tramon Mark turnover (traveling)
19:13	+2	Kam Woods makes two point jump shot	2-0
18:57		Marcus Sasser turnover (bad pass) (Kam Woods steals)
18:45		Kam Woods misses three point jump shot
18:43		J'wan Roberts defensive rebound
18:34		Austin Johnson personal foul
18:17		Tramon Mark misses three point jump shot
18:15		Jarace Walker offensive rebound
18:04	+2	Jarace Walker makes two point layup	2-2
17:43		Duncan Powell misses three point jump shot
17:41		Jarace Walker defensive rebound
17:18		Jarace Walker turnover (out of bounds)
16:54		Demetric Horton turnover (traveling)
16:44		Austin Johnson shooting foul (Tramon Mark draws the foul)
16:44	+1	Tramon Mark makes regular free throw 1 of 2	2-3
16:44		Tramon Mark misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:44		Webster Filmore defensive rebound
16:31		Marcus Watson misses two point hook shot
16:29		Jarace Walker defensive rebound
16:16		Jamal Shead misses three point jump shot
16:14		Duncan Powell defensive rebound
16:09		J'wan Roberts personal foul
15:47	+3	Kam Woods makes three point jump shot	5-3
15:28		Kam Woods personal foul
15:28		TV timeout
15:08	+2	Jarace Walker makes two point jump shot	5-5
14:46		Marcus Watson misses two point jump shot
14:44		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
14:37		Tramon Mark misses two point jump shot
14:35		Jarace Walker offensive rebound
14:29		Jarace Walker misses two point layup
14:27		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
14:18	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point dunk	5-7
14:09	+2	Kam Woods makes two point jump shot	7-7
13:37		Demetric Horton shooting foul (Marcus Sasser draws the foul)
13:37	+1	Marcus Sasser makes regular free throw 1 of 2	7-8
13:37	+1	Marcus Sasser makes regular free throw 2 of 2	7-9
13:19		Demetric Horton misses three point jump shot
13:17		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
13:07		Ja'Vier Francis misses two point layup
13:05		Demetric Horton defensive rebound
12:55	+2	Kam Woods makes two point layup	9-9
12:41	+3	Emanuel Sharp makes three point jump shot (Marcus Sasser assists)	9-12
12:21		Demetric Horton misses two point jump shot
12:19		Marcus Watson offensive rebound
12:17		Marcus Watson turnover (out of bounds)
12:02	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point dunk (Marcus Sasser assists)	9-14
11:41		Marcus Watson misses two point layup
11:39		Marcus Sasser defensive rebound
11:33		TV timeout
13:26	+2	Emanuel Sharp makes two point jump shot	9-16
10:59	+3	Kam Woods makes three point jump shot (Webster Filmore assists)	12-16
10:38		Marcus Sasser misses three point jump shot
10:36		Kam Woods defensive rebound
10:36		Terrance Arceneaux personal foul
10:19		Demetric Horton misses two point jump shot
10:17		Reggie Chaney defensive rebound
10:10		Webster Filmore shooting foul (Jarace Walker draws the foul)
10:10	+1	Jarace Walker makes regular free throw 1 of 2	12-17
10:10		Jarace Walker misses regular free throw 2 of 2
10:10		Demetric Horton defensive rebound
9:52		Reggie Chaney personal foul (Duncan Powell draws the foul)
9:52		Duncan Powell misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:52	+1	Duncan Powell makes regular free throw 2 of 2	13-17
9:32		Terrance Arceneaux misses three point jump shot
9:30		Reggie Chaney offensive rebound
9:25		Duncan Powell shooting foul (Reggie Chaney draws the foul)
9:25	+1	Reggie Chaney makes regular free throw 1 of 2	13-18
9:25	+1	Reggie Chaney makes regular free throw 2 of 2	13-19
9:06		Reggie Chaney personal foul
8:50	+3	Kam Woods makes three point jump shot (Duncan Powell assists)	16-19
8:31	+2	Jarace Walker makes two point jump shot	16-21
8:22		Demetric Horton turnover (traveling)
8:14		Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot
8:12		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
8:08	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point layup	16-23
7:47		Jeremy Robinson turnover (lost ball) (Terrance Arceneaux steals)
7:36		Terrance Arceneaux misses three point jump shot
7:34		Marcus Watson defensive rebound
7:16	+2	Kam Woods makes two point layup (Marcus Watson assists)	18-23
6:53	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point dunk (Jarace Walker assists)	18-25
6:30		Kam Woods turnover (bad pass) (Terrance Arceneaux steals)
6:21	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point dunk (Terrance Arceneaux assists)	18-27
6:19		Aggies 30 second timeout
6:19		TV timeout
6:05		Duncan Powell offensive foul
6:05		Duncan Powell turnover (offensive foul)
5:40		Terrance Arceneaux offensive foul
5:40		Terrance Arceneaux turnover (offensive foul)
5:24		Marcus Watson misses three point jump shot
5:22		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
5:01		Ramon Walker Jr. misses two point jump shot
4:59		Demetric Horton defensive rebound
4:44		Kam Woods misses three point jump shot
4:42		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
4:30	+2	Ramon Walker Jr. makes two point layup (Jamal Shead assists)	18-29
4:05	+3	Demetric Horton makes three point jump shot (Marcus Watson assists)	21-29
3:38		Tramon Mark misses two point jump shot
3:36		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
3:36		TV timeout
3:33	+2	J'wan Roberts makes two point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists)	21-31
3:14		Love Bettis turnover (bad pass) (Tramon Mark steals)
3:11		Webster Filmore personal foul (Tramon Mark draws the foul)
3:11		Tramon Mark misses regular free throw 1 of 1
3:11		Aggies defensive rebound
2:55		Love Bettis misses three point jump shot
2:53		Cougars defensive rebound
2:16	+2	Marcus Sasser makes two point jump shot	21-33
1:55		Marcus Watson misses three point jump shot
1:53		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
1:47		Jump ball. J'wan Roberts vs. Demetric Horton (Aggies gains possession)
1:47		J'wan Roberts turnover (lost ball) (Demetric Horton steals)
1:32		Demetric Horton misses three point jump shot
1:30		J'wan Roberts defensive rebound
1:12		Marcus Sasser turnover (lost ball)
0:53		Kam Woods misses two point layup
0:51		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
0:42	+2	Marcus Sasser makes two point jump shot	21-35
0:11		Kam Woods turnover (lost ball) (Jamal Shead steals)
0:04		Marcus Watson blocks Jamal Shead's two point layup
0:02		Marcus Sasser offensive rebound
0:02		Marcus Watson shooting foul (Marcus Sasser draws the foul)
0:02	+1	Marcus Sasser makes regular free throw 1 of 2	21-36
0:02		Marcus Sasser misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:02		Demetric Horton defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
NCAT
Aggies
25
HOU
Cougars
38

Time		Play	Score
19:50		Marcus Sasser misses three point jump shot
19:48		Austin Johnson defensive rebound
19:18		Duncan Powell misses three point jump shot
19:16		Jamal Shead defensive rebound
19:11	+2	Jarace Walker makes two point layup (Jamal Shead assists)	21-38
19:11		Marcus Watson shooting foul (Jarace Walker draws the foul)
19:11		Jarace Walker misses regular free throw 1 of 1
19:11		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
19:00	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point layup	21-40
18:56		Ja'Vier Francis personal foul
18:48		Marcus Watson turnover
18:26	+3	Marcus Sasser makes three point jump shot (Jamal Shead assists)	21-43
18:11		Aggies 30 second timeout
18:11		TV timeout
18:03		Kam Woods misses three point jump shot
18:01		Marcus Sasser defensive rebound
17:37	+2	Marcus Sasser makes two point layup	21-45
17:16		Austin Johnson turnover (Jamal Shead steals)
17:10		Marcus Watson shooting foul (Emanuel Sharp draws the foul)
17:10	+1	Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 1 of 2	21-46
17:10	+1	Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 2 of 2	21-47
16:56		Ja'Vier Francis personal foul
16:40		Austin Johnson misses three point jump shot
16:38		Cougars defensive rebound
16:27		Marcus Sasser misses two point layup
16:25		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
16:24		Webster Filmore shooting foul (Ja'Vier Francis draws the foul)
16:24		Ja'Vier Francis misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:24	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	21-48
15:58		Kam Woods misses two point jump shot
15:56		Tramon Mark defensive rebound
15:49		Marcus Sasser turnover (Demetric Horton steals)
15:46		Tramon Mark personal foul
15:46		TV timeout
15:46		Kam Woods misses regular free throw 1 of 2
15:46	+1	Kam Woods makes regular free throw 2 of 2	22-48
15:20		Jarace Walker misses two point jump shot
15:18		Demetric Horton defensive rebound
15:13		Love Bettis turnover
15:00		Jarace Walker misses two point layup
14:58		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
14:47		Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot
14:45		Kam Woods defensive rebound
14:36		Jump ball. Kam Woods vs. Jarace Walker (Aggies gains possession)
14:34		Demetric Horton misses two point jump shot
14:32		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
14:07		Tramon Mark misses two point jump shot
14:05		Austin Johnson defensive rebound
13:50		Ja'Vier Francis blocks Webster Filmore's two point layup
13:48		Aggies offensive rebound
13:47	+3	Marcus Watson makes three point jump shot	25-48
13:32	+2	J'wan Roberts makes two point dunk (Emanuel Sharp assists)	25-50
13:12		Marcus Watson offensive foul
13:12		Marcus Watson turnover (offensive foul)
12:56		Terrance Arceneaux turnover
12:42		Austin Johnson turnover (Marcus Sasser steals)
12:38	+2	Marcus Sasser makes two point dunk	25-52
12:21		Love Bettis misses two point jump shot
12:19		J'wan Roberts defensive rebound
11:54		Terrance Arceneaux misses three point jump shot
11:52		Tramon Mark offensive rebound
11:44		Terrance Arceneaux misses three point jump shot
11:42		J'wan Roberts offensive rebound
11:38	+3	Marcus Sasser makes three point jump shot (J'wan Roberts assists)	25-55
11:29		Aggies 30 second timeout
11:29		TV timeout
11:12		Reggie Chaney personal foul
11:10		Kam Woods misses three point jump shot
11:08		Tramon Mark defensive rebound
10:47		Marcus Sasser misses three point jump shot
10:45		Kam Woods defensive rebound
10:40	+2	Demetric Horton makes two point layup (Kam Woods assists)	27-55
10:20	+3	Terrance Arceneaux makes three point jump shot (J'wan Roberts assists)	27-58
10:03		Marcus Watson offensive foul
10:03		Marcus Watson turnover (offensive foul)
9:45		J'wan Roberts misses two point jump shot
9:43		Terrance Arceneaux offensive rebound
9:36	+3	Jamal Shead makes three point jump shot (Terrance Arceneaux assists)	27-61
9:12	+2	Kam Woods makes two point jump shot	29-61
8:57		Tyrese Elliott personal foul
8:42	+2	Reggie Chaney makes two point dunk (Terrance Arceneaux assists)	29-63
8:09		Austin Johnson turnover
8:02		Terrance Arceneaux misses three point jump shot
8:00		Kam Woods defensive rebound
7:54	+2	Kam Woods makes two point layup	31-63
7:23		Terrance Arceneaux turnover (Demetric Horton steals)
7:14		Tyrese Elliott misses three point jump shot
7:12		Webster Filmore offensive rebound
7:02	+3	Demetric Horton makes three point jump shot (Kam Woods assists)	34-63
6:38		Tramon Mark misses three point jump shot
6:36		Kam Woods defensive rebound
6:36		Terrance Arceneaux personal foul
6:36		TV timeout
6:15		Jamal Shead shooting foul (Kam Woods draws the foul)
6:15	+1	Kam Woods makes regular free throw 1 of 2	35-63
6:15	+1	Kam Woods makes regular free throw 2 of 2	36-63
6:08		Emanuel Sharp turnover (Kam Woods steals)
6:06		Emanuel Sharp shooting foul (Tyrese Elliott draws the foul)
6:06	+1	Tyrese Elliott makes regular free throw 1 of 2	37-63
6:06		Tyrese Elliott misses regular free throw 2 of 2
6:06		J'wan Roberts defensive rebound
5:49		Demetric Horton personal foul (Ja'Vier Francis draws the foul)
5:49	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 1 of 2	37-64
5:49	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	37-65
5:33		Emanuel Sharp shooting foul (Tyrese Elliott draws the foul)
5:33	+1	Tyrese Elliott makes regular free throw 1 of 2	38-65
5:33	+1	Tyrese Elliott makes regular free throw 2 of 2	39-65
5:24		Jump ball. Kam Woods vs. Emanuel Sharp (Cougars gains possession)
5:10		Ramon Walker Jr. turnover (Tyrese Elliott steals)
4:56		Webster Filmore misses two point jump shot
4:54		Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound
4:48		Webster Filmore blocks Ramon Walker Jr.'s two point jump shot
4:46		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
4:34	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point layup	39-67
4:21		Austin Johnson misses three point jump shot
4:19		J'wan Roberts defensive rebound
4:06		Demetric Horton blocks Ja'Vier Francis's two point layup
4:04		Austin Johnson defensive rebound
3:59		Tyrese Elliott misses three point jump shot
3:57		Ramon Walker Jr. defensive rebound
3:52	+2	Ramon Walker Jr. makes two point layup	39-69
3:44		Demetric Horton misses three point jump shot
3:42		Tyrese Elliott offensive rebound
3:36		Ja'Vier Francis blocks Tyrese Elliott's two point layup
3:34		J'wan Roberts defensive rebound
3:22		Jamal Shead turnover (Tyrese Elliott steals)
3:15		Jamal Shead blocks Tyrese Elliott's two point layup
3:13		Kam Woods offensive rebound
3:15		Kam Woods misses three point jump shot
3:13		Cougars defensive rebound
3:15		TV timeout
3:03		Terrance Arceneaux turnover (Tyrese Elliott steals)
3:00		Terrance Arceneaux shooting foul (Tyrese Elliott draws the foul)
3:00	+1	Tyrese Elliott makes regular free throw 1 of 2	40-69
3:00	+1	Tyrese Elliott makes regular free throw 2 of 2	41-69
2:42	+2	Emanuel Sharp makes two point layup	41-71
2:42		Austin Johnson shooting foul (Emanuel Sharp draws the foul)
2:42	+1	Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 1 of 1	41-72
2:28		Duncan Powell misses two point jump shot
2:26		Ryan Elvin defensive rebound
2:09		Emanuel Sharp turnover (Kam Woods steals)
2:01	+2	Kam Woods makes two point dunk	43-72
1:49		Duncan Powell blocks Ja'Vier Francis's two point layup
1:47		Duncan Powell defensive rebound
1:42	+2	Demetric Horton makes two point layup	45-72
1:42		Ryan Elvin shooting foul (Demetric Horton draws the foul)
1:38	+1	Demetric Horton makes regular free throw 1 of 1	46-72
1:32		Ramon Walker Jr. turnover (Tyrese Elliott steals)
1:32		Emanuel Sharp shooting foul (Kam Woods draws the foul)
1:32		Kam Woods misses regular free throw 1 of 2
1:32		Kam Woods misses regular free throw 2 of 2
1:32		Terrance Arceneaux defensive rebound
1:16		Emanuel Sharp turnover (Tyrese Elliott steals)
1:09		Jump ball. Tyrese Elliott vs. Emanuel Sharp (Aggies gains possession)
1:05		Ja'Vier Francis blocks Demetric Horton's two point jump shot
1:03		Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound
0:57	+2	Ramon Walker Jr. makes two point dunk (Emanuel Sharp assists)	46-74
0:46		Tyrese Elliott misses three point jump shot
0:44		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
0:33		Ryan Elvin misses two point layup
0:31		Aggies defensive rebound
0:25		Demetric Horton misses three point jump shot
0:25		Aggies offensive rebound
0:21		Austin Johnson misses two point jump shot
0:19		Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound