SALT LAKE CITY — Emanuel Sharp set the school record for career 3-pointers and finished with 27 points to lift No. 3 Houston over Utah 66-52 on Tuesday night.
Sharp made a career-high eight 3s on 8-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc to give him 277, surpassing Marcus Sasser (276 in 2019-23) for the school mark. The record-breaking 3 was a 30-foot jumper with 15:06 to play.
Joseph Tugler and Milos Uzan each scored 9 points for the Cougars (22-2, 10-1 Big 12), who have won five straight and 16 of their last 17.
Keanu Dawes scored 15 points and Seydou Traore added 12 to pace the Utes (9-15, 1-10 Big 12) in the first meeting between Houston and Utah in Salt Lake City.
Houston led 40-25 after Tugler scored two inside baskets and the Cougars forced three straight turnovers to start the second half on an 8-0 run. The lead grew to 22 points on Chris Cenac's dunk to make it 55-33 with 8:28 remaining.
Sharp made six consecutive 3-pointers in the first half to spark the Cougars' lead to 15 points. Tugler's free throw made it 33-18 with 4:34 until halftime before the Utes closed to 34-25.
The Cougars' aggressive defense made it difficult for Utah to even get into their offensive sets and many possessions ended with a 30-second violation or a forced shot to beat the shot clock. It was Utah's lowest scoring output of the season.
Terrence Brown, Utah's leading scorer with 21.1 points per game, didn't make a basket until the second half and finished with 12 points.
