HOUSTON – – Houston coach Kelvin Sampson prefers many things besides losing a game.
Sampson lost the game on Saturday night due to the contact tracking of the COVID-19, but the Cougars did not lose another victory.
Quentin Grimes had 23 points and seven rebounds, Tramon Mark added 18 points and No. 10 Houston recovered from a 77-67 victory over South Carolina.
Grimes scored 19 points in the second half, including 12 of 13 on the free-throw line. Mark scored 11 points after the break, including 6 of 7 from the line.
“Our children, they played with their hearts,” said Houston acting coach Quannas White. “The first part did not go the way we would like it to go. It wasn’t Cougar basketball, but at the break, our guys came in, listened and played Cougar basketball. “
DeJon Jarreau finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for Houston (4-0), who hit 38% and made 4 of 19 attempts at 3 points. Houston was helped by 31 of 38 free-throw shots.
Sampson and his son, assistant coach Kellen Sampson, lost the game because of COVID-19 and contact tracking protocols. The school said the Sampsons were isolating themselves in their homes and had no symptoms.
“It was awful,” said Kelvin Sampson. “I would rather fight a hedgehog than do it again. It was just miserable. I shut down Kellen 30 times during the game. I yelled at (my wife) Karen, I don’t know how many times. I just left. It was just miserable. “
Kelvin Sampson said Kellen’s test was positive, but he had to miss Saturday and will miss the Cougars’ next game on Wednesday due to contact tracking.
White said Kelvin Sampson’s confidence in him dates back to when he played for Sampson in Oklahoma.
“Experience is the best teacher,” said White. “The coach does a great job not only preparing the players, but also preparing the team.”
Justin Minaya scored 13 points and Jermaine Couisnard and Keyshawn Bryant added 10 points each for South Carolina (1-2), who scored 44%. Gamecocks hit 17 out of 29 shots from the line.
“We let a great opportunity slip by our hands,” said South Carolina coach Frank Martin. “We lost several free throws and turned nine or 10 times in the first half or we could have a bigger advantage. … In the second half, we had a bad stretch of basketball. “
Houston used a 14-2 run at the start of the second half and opened a 48-42 lead on a Mark jumper with 14 minutes remaining. The race started after White asked for a timeout one minute after the second.
“I thought it was a big break for him,” said Kelvin Sampson. “The timing was great. I can only imagine what he said in the heap. The children responded. This is a sign of great respect from both sides. “
After South Carolina closed 50-49 on a Wildens Leveque free throw, Houston used a 12-3 shot and opened a 10 point lead on three Grimes free throws with eight minutes remaining.
South Carolina led 35-31 at the break, with eight points each from TJ Moss and Minaya.
BIG PICTURE
South Carolina: The Gamecocks played against Houston, but never managed to get away from the Cougars in the first half. South Carolina had problems with turnovers, making 19, which Houston turned into 21 points.
“We are turning the ball too far,” said Martin.
Houston: The Cougars overcame a terrible first half in which they hit 33%, including 1 of 13 out of 3 points. At one point, they were 8 and a half minutes without a field goal. Houston played in the second half as they did in the first three games, with a tough defense, winning rebounds and taking care of the ball.
MILLS, SASSER OUT
Houston was without pre-season American Athletic Conference player of the year Caleb Mills and point guard Marcus Sasser on Saturday due to an injury. Mills wore a boot on his left foot and Sasser wore a boot on his right foot.
Mills, who averages eight points from two games, missed Houston’s first game of the season against Lamar on November 25 due to an injury. Sasser is Houston’s top scorer with 17.3 points per game in the first three games.
NEXT:
South Carolina: hosts Wofford on Thursday.
Houston: hosts Sam Houston State on Wednesday.
——
For more coverage of AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP–Top25