Rob Gray and Corey Davis Jr. shared the scoring load for the 25th-ranked Houston Cougars, whose defense suffocated the short-handed SMU Mustangs in a 69-56 victory on Wednesday at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.

Gray finished with 19 points plus nine assists and Davis chipped in 17 points while burying five 3-pointers for Houston (23-6, 13-4 American), victorious at Moody Coliseum for the first time in five years.

Armoni Brooks added 12 points for the Cougars, who have won nine of their past 11 games and will wrap up the regular-season schedule by celebrating Senior Day against Connecticut on Sunday.

The Mustangs, ravaged by injuries throughout the second half of the season, were paced by Jahmal McMurray, who had 17 points, and Ben Emelogu II, who tallied 14 points in his final home game.

SMU (16-14, 6-11) shot just 37.8 percent overall and missed 9 of 12 3-point attempts. The Mustangs endured debilitating spans without a field goal down the stretch of the first half and into the second half, with the Cougars methodically expanding their lead courtesy of their defense.

SMU's Jimmy Whitt, averaging 11.3 points over the previous seven games with leading scorer Shake Milton sidelined due to a right hand injury, shot 1-for-8 and posted only five points.

The Cougars were first to break loose from a prolonged drought that engulfed both teams, with Gray drilling a jumper just inside the arc to snap a 2-2 tie at the 13:14 mark. Houston followed by either converting a 3-pointer or three-point play for its subsequent six baskets, surging to a 22-11 lead when Chris Harris Jr. completed the latter with 8:30 remaining in the first half.

Two things kept SMU afloat prior to the intermission: McMurray, who tallied 13 first-half points, and the Cougars' inability to defend without fouling. Houston was whistled for 13 fouls before the break, with the Mustangs scoring one third of their 24 points at the free-throw line. The Cougars took a 12-point lead into the locker room, a deficit that could have been greater considering the Mustangs' woeful 29.2 percent shooting, including 2-for-10 from behind the arc.

--Field Level Media