In the Maui Jim Maui Invitational at Michelob Ultra Events Center adjacent to Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, the University of Houston went on a 17-0 run in the first eight minutes of the game and cruised past Butler to a 70-52 win. Fabian White Jr’s career-high 21 points led all scorers.
It was UH’s 10th-straight win in a regular-season tournament game. UH swept the Diamond Head Class in 2019 (3 games), the Men Against Breast Cancer Cougar Cup in 2018 (4 games), and won the last two games in the Paradise Jam in 2017.
Houston is 16-2 in regular-season tournament games since 2015.
Fabian White set the tone early, taking passes from Marcus Sasser and knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to put the Coogs up 6-0. Coming into the game, White had made three 3-pointers in 2,175 minutes in his four-plus seasons at Houston. Off another assist by Sasser, White hit his third three-pointer inside the game’s first six minutes.
UH took a 21-point lead into the half but came out sluggish early in the second period. Butler chipped at the Cougar lead and got it down to 12 points at 44-32. But Houston bumped it back to 18 and put the game out of reach.
Since allowing Hofstra to go up 13 with 8.5 minutes left in regulation, the Cougars have clamped down on opponents. In the last 73.5 minutes, teams have shot 31.4% against the Coogs as UH has outscored them 250-158
Kyler Edwards finished with ten points, Sasser with nine, and Jamal Shead had eight. Taze Moore had seven and four rebounds but played limited minutes after taking himself out of the game following three highlight-reel plays.
UH plays again Tuesday vs. Wisconsin at 4 p.m.
