PISCATAWAY, N.J. – J.J. Moore scored a career-high 27 points to lead Rutgers to a 93-70 victory over Houston Saturday.
Myles Mack added 25 points and six assists for the Scarlet Knights (9-13, 3-6 American Athletic Conference), who snapped a four-game losing streak and reversed a 22-point loss at Houston 13 days ago. Kadeem Jack added 16 points and Jerome Seagears had 11.
TaShawn Thomas had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars (11-11, 3-6), who have lost four straight since defeating Rutgers on Jan. 19. Brandon Morris added 13 points, while Danuel House and L.R. Rose had 11 apiece.
The 163 combined points were the most scored in an AAC game.
Houston shot 6 of 8 to start the second half and cut a 46-31 deficit to 53-44. Mack responded with a 3-pointer to begin an 11-1 run that put the Scarlet Knights up 64-45 with 11:36 remaining.
The Cougars got no closer than 14 from that point, and Rutgers opened its largest lead at 86-61 with 4:38 remaining.
Moore, who had just five points in the loss to Houston, shot 11 for 17 and had five rebounds, helping Rutgers shoot 52.5 percent (31 of 59). Mack was 6 for 11 and hit 10 of 11 free throws. The Knights shot 60 percent (15 of 25) in the second half and made 13 of their first 20.
Houston committed 14 turnovers and made just 12 of 27 free-throw attempts.
Rutgers scored eight straight to close the first half and take a 46-31 advantage. The Cougars had cut a 29-16 deficit to 38-31and had a chance to get closer before Moore came up with a steal and breakaway dunk to ignite the crowd and start the 8-0 run. The slam capped a 17-point half for Moore, while Mack had 15.
Houston shot 40.6 percent (13 of 32) in the half with nine turnovers, and was just 1 of 9 from 3-point range. The Scarlet Knights shot 47.1 percent (16 of 34) and were bolstered by 10-of-11 shooting from the line.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.