Fort Worth, Texas — Marcus Sasser scored 30 points and top-ranked Houston got its 30th win of the season with a 60-46 victory over East Carolina in the quarter-finals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Cougars (30-2), a sure-bet No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, have back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since their Phi Slama Jama era.
Houston made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1982-84, and was national runner-ups in back-to-back seasons – winning 31 games in 1982-83 and 32 the next season.
Sasser, the AAC player of the year, was a starter on the 2021 Final Four team but missed the Cougars’ run to the NCAA Elite Eight last year because of a broken bone in his left foot.
Jamal Shead added 12 points for Houston, which won despite shooting a season-low 28.1% (16 of 57) from the field. J’Wan Roberts, who was 0-for-5 shooting and didn’t get to the free throw line, had 12 rebounds.
East Carolina freshman forward Ezra Ausar had 18 points and a season-high 19 rebounds in his third double-double this season. The Pirates (16-17) had a season-low scoring total and shot 31.4% (16 of 51).
The Pirates jumped out to an early 9-5 lead by making four of their first five shots before they started to struggle against Houston’s tenacious defense.
ECU made only four of its remaining 18 shots before halftime, but still only trailed by two because the Cougars were even worse from the field at 25.8% (8 of 31).
After three Pirates turnovers in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half, Houston extended its lead to 29-21 when Sasser swished a 3 from the left wing. Another 3 by Sasser pushed the lead to 42-28 with just over 12 minutes left.
