Houston 83, Houston Baptist 76: Jherrod Stiggers scored 24 of his career-high 33 points in the second half as the host Cougars held off the Huskies.

Devonta Pollard recorded his fourth double-double in his last five games with 17 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late for Houston (5-1), which began a stretch in which it will play five games in eight days after playing that many over the first 32 days of the season. Danrad Knowles added 12 points as the Cougars finished 9-of-28 beyond the arc and have made at least eight 3-pointers in every game this season.

Anthony Odunsi led the way with 18 points for Houston Baptist (4-4), which nearly knocked off its second city school in two weeks after winning at Rice on Dec. 3. Josh Ibarra tallied a career-high 14 points and seven boards off the bench while Colter Lasher chipped in with 12 points.

Houston led by as many as nine points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cougars connected on three of their first six 3-point attempts, but a 2-of-11 finish beyond the arc prior to intermission opened the door for Houston Baptist, which scored 23 of the final 33 points of the first half to take a four-point lead. The Cougars knocked down their first three 3-pointers of the second half to quickly stretch the margin to eight before the first media timeout.

Behind 11 straight points from Stiggers – including a three-point play and two 3-pointers – the Cougars jumped back ahead 51-49 while another triple and four free throws from Stiggers following a pair of technical fouls allowed Houston to stem the tide. The Huskies managed to tie it twice down the stretch, but could not get over the hump despite 5-of-12 shooting from the foul line by Houston over the final 3 ½ minutes.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston Baptist G Tyler Russell was assessed two technical fouls and ejected with 10:24 remaining for criticizing an official following a play in which Stiggers and Huskies F Alex Fountain got tangled up following a 3-pointer from Stiggers. Pollard was also given a technical. … The Cougars have yet to lose in 12 meetings with the Huskies, representing the most wins they have without a loss against any opponent. … Seventeen of Houston’s 28 first-half field-goal attempts came from behind the 3-point line, resulting in a 32.1-percent effort from the field. The Cougars focused on driving the ball much more in the second half and shot 59.1 percent.