Brady scores 21, Houston holds off Temple for 76-73 win

Dec 31, 2017, 02:46 am

HOUSTON -- Breaon Brady scored a career-high 21 points, on 8-of-9 shooting, and grabbed nine rebounds and Houston held off a late rally by Temple for a 76-73 win on Saturday night.

Brady, a JUCO transfer, left the game midway through the second half with an apparent ankle injury.

Armoni Brooks added 14 points and Devin Davis scored 12 for Houston (12-2, 2-0 American Athletic Conference). The Cougars, who have won four in a row, led by 15 with six minutes left and by 11 with about 2 1/2 minutes to play.

Davis scored seven points, and Corey Davis Jr. hit two 3-pointers, during a 20-2 run that gave Houston a 12-point lead and Fabian White Jr. hit a jumper that made it 70-59 with 2:24 remaining. Shizz Alston Jr. hit a 3-pointer for the Owls that capped a 7-0 spurt with 48 seconds left and added another 3 left that trimmed Temple's deficit to 74-73 with nine seconds to go. Rob Gray hit two free throws on the other end and Alston's potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short.

Alston finished with 18 points and Quinton Rose scored 14 for Temple (7-6, 0-2). Freshman Nate Pierre-Louis tied his career highs with 11 points and three steals.

Neither team led by more than four points, and there were 12 lead changes, in the first half.