Dedan Thomas Jr. Scores 17 as No. 8 Houston Holds Jacksonville State to 27% in a 92-46 Win
Houston made 27 of 32 free throws and won the paint 36-10 as the No. 8 Cougars held Jacksonville State to 15-of-56 shooting at Fertitta Center.
Photo: Houston Athletics. Dedan Thomas Jr., official roster headshot. Card design: The Dyme.
Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 17 points with seven assists as No. 8 Houston beat Jacksonville State 92-46 on Wednesday at Fertitta Center in Houston, per the ESPN box score. Thomas shot 5-of-8 from the field, 1-of-4 from three and 6-of-6 at the line in 28 minutes. Jacksonville State shot 15-of-56 from the field (27%). Attendance was 7,035. The game streamed on ESPN+. Houston moved to 3-0 (2-0 at home). Jacksonville State fell to 1-2 (0-2 on the road).
Mercy Miller added 15 points and five assists on 4-of-7 shooting and 6-of-8 at the line. Miller scored 11 of his 15 after halftime, by our count from the ESPN play-by-play. Chendall Weaver scored 10 off the bench in 11 minutes on one field-goal attempt: a made three and 7-of-8 free throws. Arafan Diane went 3-of-3 for nine points. Braden East scored eight with five rebounds.
27 made free throws
Houston's 46-point margin came entirely inside the arc and at the line: both teams made seven threes, so the gap was 28 points on two-point baskets and 18 at the free-throw line, by our count from the ESPN box. Houston made 27 of 32 free throws, per ESPN. Jacksonville State made nine of 16. The Gamecocks committed 27 fouls to Houston's 15. Houston's 27 made free throws were 12 more than Jacksonville State's 15 made field goals, by our count.
Houston also won inside. Paint points went 36-10. The Cougars outrebounded Jacksonville State 46-26, with a 33-15 edge on the defensive glass. Joseph Tugler had eight rebounds and two blocks. Chase McCarty had seven rebounds.
Jacksonville State committed 14 turnovers and Houston committed 10. Houston scored 20 points off turnovers to Jacksonville State's two.
A 10-0 start
The score was 2-2 early. From 18:48 to 16:45 of the first half, Houston scored 10 straight to lead 12-2, by our count from the play-by-play. Diane's free throw at 16:45 made it the first double-digit lead. Thomas' free throw at 4:38 made it 37-17, the first 20-point margin. Houston led 45-23 at halftime, per the ESPN linescores.
Miller's driving layup off a Thomas assist at 6:31 of the second half made it 70-39. Miller's dunk at 3:24 made it 85-44. Kordel Jefferson's dunk with 55 seconds left made it 92-46. That 46-point margin matched ESPN's listed largest lead and stood as the final margin. Houston won both halves, 45-23 and 47-23. Jacksonville State never led, per ESPN.
Eleven of the 14 Houston players who appeared scored, by our count from the ESPN player box.
Jacksonville State's side
Naas Cunningham led Jacksonville State with 13 points off the bench on 4-of-12 shooting and 3-of-8 from three. Jordan Stiemke scored 10 with seven rebounds. Leon Horner scored nine with four assists before fouling out. The Gamecocks made seven threes, matching Houston's seven, on 26 attempts.
The box score, side by side
Full-game team numbers, per the ESPN box and checked against the CBS Sports gametracker box:
| Category | Houston | Jacksonville State |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 29-54 (54%) | 15-56 (27%) |
| 3-pointers | 7-22 (32%) | 7-26 (27%) |
| Free throws | 27-32 (84%) | 9-16 (56%) |
| Rebounds | 46 | 26 |
| Defensive rebounds | 33 | 15 |
| Assists | 17 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 14 |
| Steals | 7 | 8 |
| Blocks | 3 | 1 |
| Points in the paint | 36 | 10 |
| Points off turnovers | 20 | 2 |
| Fast-break points | 10 | 3 |
| Personal fouls | 15 | 27 |
| Largest lead | 46 | 0 |
Half scoring, per the ESPN linescores:
| Half | Houston | Jacksonville State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | 23 |
| 2 | 47 | 23 |
| Final | 92 | 46 |
Houston held the No. 8 spot in the Associated Press men's Top 25, per the NCAA.com AP poll and ESPN's game ranking. Jacksonville State was unranked.
Next on the schedule
Houston faces Rutgers at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 17, per the ESPN team schedule.
Sources:
- ESPN: Jacksonville State vs. Houston box score
- ESPN: Jacksonville State vs. Houston play-by-play
- CBS Sports: Jacksonville State at Houston gametracker box score
- NCAA.com: AP Top 25 men's basketball poll
- Houston Athletics: men's basketball schedule
- Jacksonville State Athletics: men's basketball schedule
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