National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Houston 82, Central Florida 58
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 13, 2016
Where: Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas
Officials: # Bill Covington, # Bill Jacobson, # Zelton Steed
Attendance: 4126

Senior forward Devonta Pollard scored 16 points to help Houston cruise to an 82-58 victory over Central Florida on Saturday in American Athletic Conference play at Houston.

Junior forward Danrad Knowles and senior guard LeRon Barnes added 13 points apiece for the Cougars (18-7, 8-5 AAC), who won for the fifth time in six games. Junior guard Damyean Dotson had 12 points for Houston, which held a 40-29 rebounding edge.

Junior guard Matt Williams scored 13 points to lead the Golden Knights (11-12, 5-7). Freshman guard Chance McSpadden added 10 points for Central Florida, which has lost six of its last seven games.

Houston played without leading scorer Rob Gray Jr. (17.3 points per game) for the fourth straight game. The sophomore guard is nursing an ankle injury.

The Cougars led by 15 at halftime and quickly expanded the lead in the second half. Pollard scored eight consecutive Houston points as the lead reached 51-27 with 13:42 remaining.

The lead was 64-41 after Dotson's basket with 7:25 remaining before Central Florida used a 9-2 surge to cut its deficit to 16 points. Junior center Kyle Meyer scored on a tip-in to push the Cougars' lead back to 20 and the advantage reached 25 in the final minute.

Houston led 22-12 after a basket by Knowles shortly before the midway point of the first half. The Golden Knights missed 12 of their final 14 field-goal attempts of the half as the Cougars led 40-25 at the break.
Top Game Performances
 
Central Florida   Houston
Matt Williams 13 Scoring Devonta Pollard 16
Daiquan Walker 5 Assists Galen Robinson Jr. 4
A.J. Davis 4 Rebounds LeRon Barnes 7
Justin McBride 4 Free Throws Made Devonta Pollard 8
A.J. Davis 2 Steals Kyle Meyer 2
Tacko Fall 3 Blocks Kyle Meyer 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Central Florida 58 40.4 6-23 6-13 11 28 6 6 14
Houston 82 50.0 2-13 18-22 13 39 3 5 7