SIUE

HOU

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No. 1 seed Houston romps past No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville 78-40 in NCAA Tournament opener

AP
Mar 20, 2025

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Milos Uzan scored 16 points, LJ Cryer added 15 and No. 1 seed Houston was able to rest up for the rest of the NCAA Tournament while romping past No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville 78-40 on Thursday in the first round of the Midwest Region.

Ja'Vier Francis added 13 points and eight rebounds for Houston (31-4), which now gets a tough second-round matchup with No. 8 seed Gonzaga on Saturday. The Bulldogs blitzed ninth-seeded Georgia, 89-68, in their tournament opener.

“I thought our defense and our rebounding, two of the things we really emphasize, was good today,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Shot selection was really good to start the game - knocked some shots down, got off to a good start.”

The Cougars finished well, too. The final margin was the biggest of the game.

Ray'Sean Taylor had 10 points for SIUE (22-12), which was just 2 of 24 from the 3-point arc in its first NCAA appearance.

“It's definitely a gut-punch because I feel like we had more to give for sure,” said Taylor, breaking down in tears. "When I look back at it, I'm not going to be mad about the game. I don't like to lose, but I'm never going to hold my head down ever. I never let anyone see me with my head down. They played better than us today.

“Good luck to them. They have a team to win it all.”

It’s never a good formula for springing an NCAA upset to let what is arguably the best defensive team in the country also shoot better than 60% from the field and only turn it over twice during the first 20 minutes of a game.

That’s exactly what SIUE did against Houston.

The Cougars probably knew they were in for a tough afternoon against a bigger, more athletic bunch of Cougars in the first few minutes, when Houston scored on nine straight offensive possessions. At the other end, SIUE struggled just to get shots off - at one point, guard Brian Taylor II was trapped so quickly that he genuinely looked perplexed.

The whole affair may have been summed up by the last 3 seconds of the first half: SIUE forward Myles Thompson was trapped near midcourt, turned the ball over, and Cryer promptly drilled a 3 from the wing to give Houston a 52-24 lead.

Sampson's bunch kept extending the lead all the way to the finish.

“They were physical, made some shots early when we had a couple breakdowns, and then they hit some really hard shots as well,” SIUE coach Brian Barone said. “We weren't able to dig out of that hole.”

SIU Edwardsville may have had more fans - or at least louder ones - than Houston for its NCAA tourney debut. They cheered all the way to the finish, too, when Barone took his starters out of the game.

Houston was no doubt pleased to see J'Wan Roberts moving around fine on the ankle he sprained in the Big 12 Tournament. He was able to spend much of the second half resting with the rest of the Cougars' starters on the bench.

Houston advanced to the second round for the seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament.

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1st Half
SIUE
Cougars
24
HOU
Cougars
52

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Kyle Thomas vs. Joseph Tugler (Desmond Polk gains possession)
19:49	+2	Kyle Thomas makes two point dunk (Desmond Polk assists)	2-0
19:16		Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot
19:14		Joseph Tugler offensive rebound
19:10		L.J. Cryer misses three point jump shot
19:08		Cougars defensive rebound
19:08		Joseph Tugler personal foul
18:38		Desmond Polk misses three point jump shot
18:36		J'Wan Roberts defensive rebound
18:23	+2	Milos Uzan makes two point jump shot	2-2
18:09	+2	Brian Taylor II makes two point dunk (Kyle Thomas assists)	4-2
17:45	+2	J'Wan Roberts makes two point jump shot	4-4
17:33		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
17:31		Cougars defensive rebound
17:11	+3	L.J. Cryer makes three point jump shot	4-7
16:47		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
16:45		Milos Uzan defensive rebound
16:31		Kyle Thomas personal foul
16:24		L.J. Cryer misses two point jump shot
16:22		J'Wan Roberts offensive rebound
16:12	+2	Milos Uzan makes two point jump shot (L.J. Cryer assists)	4-9
15:41		Brian Taylor II misses three point jump shot
15:39		Milos Uzan defensive rebound
15:29	+3	Emanuel Sharp makes three point jump shot	4-12
15:07	+2	Myles Thompson makes two point layup (Ray'Sean Taylor assists)	6-12
14:43	+2	J'Wan Roberts makes two point layup (L.J. Cryer assists)	6-14
14:29		Jump ball. Brian Taylor II vs. L.J. Cryer (L.J. Cryer gains possession)
14:29		Brian Taylor II turnover (lost ball) (L.J. Cryer steals)
14:29		TV timeout
14:04	+3	L.J. Cryer makes three point jump shot	6-17
13:40		Desmond Polk misses three point jump shot
13:38		L.J. Cryer defensive rebound
13:22		L.J. Cryer misses three point jump shot
13:20		Mylik Wilson offensive rebound
13:10	+2	Milos Uzan makes two point layup	6-19
12:42		Ray'Sean Taylor misses two point jump shot
12:40		Cougars offensive rebound
12:22		Arnas Sakenis turnover (bad pass)
12:01	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point jump shot (Mylik Wilson assists)	6-21
11:43		Myles Thompson turnover (bad pass) (Emanuel Sharp steals)
11:38		Mylik Wilson misses two point layup
11:36		Brian Taylor II defensive rebound
11:27	+2	Declan Dillon makes two point jump shot (Brian Taylor II assists)	8-21
11:07	+3	Milos Uzan makes three point jump shot	8-24
10:46		Emanuel Sharp shooting foul (Arnas Sakenis draws the foul)
10:46		TV timeout
10:46		Arnas Sakenis misses regular free throw 1 of 2
10:46	+1	Arnas Sakenis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	9-24
10:27	+3	Emanuel Sharp makes three point jump shot (L.J. Cryer assists)	9-27
9:56		Brian Taylor II misses two point jump shot
9:54		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
9:32		Kyle Thomas shooting foul (Ja'Vier Francis draws the foul)
9:32		Ja'Vier Francis misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:32	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	9-28
9:17		Mylik Wilson shooting foul (Ray'Sean Taylor draws the foul)
9:17	+1	Ray'Sean Taylor makes regular free throw 1 of 2	10-28
9:17	+1	Ray'Sean Taylor makes regular free throw 2 of 2	11-28
8:58		Arnas Sakenis blocks L.J. Cryer's two point layup
8:56		Cougars offensive rebound
8:48		Milos Uzan misses two point jump shot
8:46		Joseph Tugler offensive rebound
8:46		Cougars turnover (shot clock violation)
8:24	+2	Ray'Sean Taylor makes two point jump shot (Arnas Sakenis assists)	13-28
8:10	+2	L.J. Cryer makes two point jump shot	13-30
7:59		Ring Malith misses three point jump shot
7:57		Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound
7:50		Arnas Sakenis blocks Joseph Tugler's two point layup
7:48		Ring Malith defensive rebound
7:42	+3	Desmond Polk makes three point jump shot (Ray'Sean Taylor assists)	16-30
7:18	+2	Milos Uzan makes two point jump shot	16-32
6:48		Joseph Tugler blocks Ring Malith's two point jump shot
6:47		Cougars offensive rebound
6:47		TV timeout
6:43		Ray'Sean Taylor misses two point jump shot
6:41		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
6:34		L.J. Cryer misses three point jump shot
6:32		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
6:25	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point layup	16-34
6:06		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
6:04		J'Wan Roberts defensive rebound
5:56		J'Wan Roberts misses two point layup
5:54		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
5:49		Ray'Sean Taylor shooting foul (Ja'Vier Francis draws the foul)
5:49	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 1 of 2	16-35
5:49	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	16-36
5:22	+2	Arnas Sakenis makes two point hook shot (Declan Dillon assists)	18-36
5:09		Declan Dillon shooting foul (L.J. Cryer draws the foul)
5:09		L.J. Cryer misses regular free throw 1 of 2
5:09	+1	L.J. Cryer makes regular free throw 2 of 2	18-37
4:46		Myles Thompson turnover (lost ball) (Emanuel Sharp steals)
4:40	+3	Milos Uzan makes three point jump shot (L.J. Cryer assists)	18-40
4:29		Cougars 30 second timeout
4:29		TV timeout
4:23	+2	Arnas Sakenis makes two point jump shot (Declan Dillon assists)	20-40
4:06		Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot
4:04		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
4:01	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point dunk	20-42
3:50		Emanuel Sharp shooting foul (Declan Dillon draws the foul)
3:50		TV timeout
3:50		Declan Dillon misses regular free throw 1 of 2
3:50		Declan Dillon misses regular free throw 2 of 2
3:50		Milos Uzan defensive rebound
3:21	+2	Terrance Arceneaux makes two point jump shot (Milos Uzan assists)	20-44
3:01		Desmond Polk misses three point jump shot
2:59		Declan Dillon offensive rebound
2:53	+2	Desmond Polk makes two point layup (Declan Dillon assists)	22-44
2:26		Arnas Sakenis shooting foul (Ja'Vier Francis draws the foul)
2:26	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 1 of 2	22-45
2:26	+1	Ja'Vier Francis makes regular free throw 2 of 2	22-46
2:15		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
2:13		Mylik Wilson defensive rebound
1:57		J'Wan Roberts misses two point layup
1:55		Arnas Sakenis defensive rebound
1:37	+2	Ray'Sean Taylor makes two point layup (Myles Thompson assists)	24-46
1:18		J'Wan Roberts turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Pickett steals)
0:55		Brian Taylor II misses three point jump shot
0:53		Mylik Wilson defensive rebound
0:51		Jump ball. Mylik Wilson vs. Jordan Pickett (Mylik Wilson gains possession)
0:38	+3	L.J. Cryer makes three point jump shot	24-49
0:04		Brian Taylor II turnover (lost ball) (Joseph Tugler steals)
0:01	+3	L.J. Cryer makes three point jump shot (Milos Uzan assists)	24-52
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
SIUE
Cougars
16
HOU
Cougars
26

Time		Play	Score
19:43		Desmond Polk misses three point jump shot
19:41		Desmond Polk offensive rebound
19:37		Ring Malith misses two point jump shot
19:35		Joseph Tugler defensive rebound
19:10	+2	J'Wan Roberts makes two point layup	24-54
18:57		Kyle Thomas turnover (lost ball) (Emanuel Sharp steals)
18:46		L.J. Cryer misses three point jump shot
18:44		Desmond Polk defensive rebound
18:24		Ring Malith turnover (lost ball) (Joseph Tugler steals)
18:24		Ring Malith personal foul
18:07		Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot
18:05		Ray'Sean Taylor defensive rebound
17:44	+2	Brian Taylor II makes two point layup	26-54
17:24		Ray'Sean Taylor shooting foul (Milos Uzan draws the foul)
17:24	+1	Milos Uzan makes regular free throw 1 of 2	26-55
17:24	+1	Milos Uzan makes regular free throw 2 of 2	26-56
17:10		L.J. Cryer personal foul
17:02	+2	Brian Taylor II makes two point jump shot	28-56
16:48		Emanuel Sharp misses three point jump shot
16:45		Cougars offensive rebound
16:39		Joseph Tugler misses two point jump shot
16:37		Brian Taylor II defensive rebound
16:33		Milos Uzan shooting foul (Brian Taylor II draws the foul)
16:33	+1	Brian Taylor II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	29-56
16:33	+1	Brian Taylor II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	30-56
16:16		L.J. Cryer misses three point jump shot
16:14		Ja'Vier Francis offensive rebound
16:13		Arnas Sakenis personal foul
16:10	+2	Ja'Vier Francis makes two point jump shot (Milos Uzan assists)	30-58
15:43		Brian Taylor II misses three point jump shot
15:40		Cougars offensive rebound
15:40		TV timeout
15:20		Arnas Sakenis misses two point hook shot
15:18		Emanuel Sharp defensive rebound
15:14		Declan Dillon personal foul
14:59		J'Wan Roberts turnover (bad pass)
14:35		Declan Dillon turnover (lost ball) (Terrance Arceneaux steals)
14:29		Jordan Pickett personal foul
14:28		Mylik Wilson turnover (bad pass) (Myles Thompson steals)
14:22		Mercy Miller blocks Declan Dillon's two point layup
14:20		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
14:09		Mylik Wilson misses two point jump shot
14:07		Jordan Pickett defensive rebound
13:56		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
13:54		Ja'Vier Francis defensive rebound
13:51		Myles Thompson personal foul
13:35		Myles Thompson shooting foul (Terrance Arceneaux draws the foul)
13:35		Terrance Arceneaux misses regular free throw 1 of 2
13:35	+1	Terrance Arceneaux makes regular free throw 2 of 2	30-59
13:19		Ray'Sean Taylor turnover (bad pass) (Mercy Miller steals)
13:04		Terrance Arceneaux offensive foul
13:04		Terrance Arceneaux turnover (offensive foul)
12:51		Jordan Pickett misses three point jump shot
12:48		Cougars offensive rebound
12:46		Ja'Vier Francis personal foul
12:46		Declan Dillon turnover (bad pass) (Ja'Vier Francis steals)
12:26	+2	Terrance Arceneaux makes two point jump shot	30-61
12:14		Kyle Thomas turnover (bad pass)
11:57		Emanuel Sharp misses two point jump shot
11:55		Ray'Sean Taylor defensive rebound
11:31		Mylik Wilson blocks Ring Malith's two point layup
11:29		Arnas Sakenis offensive rebound
11:29		Terrance Arceneaux shooting foul (Arnas Sakenis draws the foul)
11:29		TV timeout
11:29		Arnas Sakenis misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:29		Arnas Sakenis misses regular free throw 2 of 2
11:29		Joseph Tugler defensive rebound
11:06	+3	Terrance Arceneaux makes three point jump shot (Joseph Tugler assists)	30-64
10:37		Mylik Wilson shooting foul (Ray'Sean Taylor draws the foul)
10:37		Ray'Sean Taylor misses regular free throw 1 of 2
10:37	+1	Ray'Sean Taylor makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-64
10:18		Mercy Miller misses three point jump shot
10:16		Ray'Sean Taylor defensive rebound
10:07		Brian Taylor II misses three point jump shot
10:05		Joseph Tugler defensive rebound
9:52	+2	Terrance Arceneaux makes two point layup	31-66
9:38		Desmond Polk misses two point jump shot
9:36		Terrance Arceneaux defensive rebound
9:30		Arnas Sakenis blocks Emanuel Sharp's two point layup
9:29		Cougars offensive rebound
9:20		Terrance Arceneaux misses two point jump shot
9:18		Mercy Miller offensive rebound
9:17		Brian Taylor II shooting foul (Mercy Miller draws the foul)
9:17	+1	Mercy Miller makes regular free throw 1 of 2	31-67
9:17	+1	Mercy Miller makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-68
8:57		Kyle Thomas turnover (bad pass) (Emanuel Sharp steals)
8:38		Brian Taylor II shooting foul (Emanuel Sharp draws the foul)
8:38	+1	Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 1 of 2	31-69
8:38	+1	Emanuel Sharp makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-70
8:08		Desmond Polk misses three point jump shot
8:06		Mylik Wilson defensive rebound
7:58		Mylik Wilson turnover (lost ball) (Myles Thompson steals)
7:52		Kordelius Jefferson shooting foul (Myles Thompson draws the foul)
7:52		TV timeout
7:52	+1	Myles Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	32-70
7:52		Myles Thompson misses regular free throw 2 of 2
7:52		Mylik Wilson defensive rebound
7:30		Kordelius Jefferson misses two point jump shot
7:28		Ray'Sean Taylor defensive rebound
7:19		Kordelius Jefferson blocks Ray'Sean Taylor's two point layup
7:17		Mercy Miller defensive rebound
7:12		Mercy Miller misses two point layup
7:10		Mylik Wilson offensive rebound
7:08		Terrance Arceneaux misses three point jump shot
7:06		Ring Malith defensive rebound
7:00		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
6:58		Desmond Polk offensive rebound
6:54		Kordelius Jefferson personal foul (Desmond Polk draws the foul)
6:54		Desmond Polk misses regular free throw 1 of 1
6:54		Mercy Miller defensive rebound
6:44	+2	Mylik Wilson makes two point jump shot	32-72
6:26	+3	Ray'Sean Taylor makes three point jump shot (Desmond Polk assists)	35-72
6:05		Mercy Miller misses two point jump shot
6:01		Cougars offensive rebound
5:53		Mylik Wilson misses two point jump shot
5:51		Cedric Lath offensive rebound
5:45		Mylik Wilson misses three point jump shot
5:41		Cougars offensive rebound
5:38		Mercy Miller misses two point jump shot
5:36		Kyle Thomas defensive rebound
5:24		Ray'Sean Taylor misses three point jump shot
5:22		Terrance Arceneaux defensive rebound
5:17		Mercy Miller misses three point jump shot
5:15		Myles Thompson defensive rebound
5:06	+2	Myles Thompson makes two point layup	37-72
4:36		Mercy Miller misses three point jump shot
4:32		Cougars defensive rebound
4:27		Ring Malith misses three point jump shot
4:25		Kordelius Jefferson defensive rebound
3:55		Mylik Wilson misses three point jump shot
3:53		Cedric Lath offensive rebound
3:50		Kyle Thomas blocks Cedric Lath's two point layup
3:48		Cedric Lath offensive rebound
3:44		Kordelius Jefferson misses three point jump shot
3:42		Kyle Thomas defensive rebound
3:26		Myles Thompson misses two point jump shot
3:24		Mylik Wilson defensive rebound
3:05		Kyle Thomas blocks Terrance Arceneaux's three point jump shot
3:03		Ray'Sean Taylor defensive rebound
2:53		Cedric Lath shooting foul (Kyle Thomas draws the foul)
2:53		TV timeout
2:53	+1	Kyle Thomas makes regular free throw 1 of 2	38-72
2:53		Kyle Thomas misses regular free throw 2 of 2
2:53		Terrance Arceneaux defensive rebound
2:26		Mylik Wilson misses two point jump shot
2:24		Brian Taylor II defensive rebound
2:18	+2	Brian Taylor II makes two point layup	40-72
2:12		Mylik Wilson turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Pickett steals)
2:05		Declan Dillon misses two point layup
2:03		Mercy Miller defensive rebound
1:51		Arnas Sakenis blocks Terrance Arceneaux's two point layup
1:49		Brian Taylor II defensive rebound
1:42		Eddiean Tirado misses three point jump shot
1:40		Mylik Wilson defensive rebound
1:32	+2	Kordelius Jefferson makes two point layup (Mylik Wilson assists)	40-74
1:32		Eddiean Tirado shooting foul (Kordelius Jefferson draws the foul)
1:32		Kordelius Jefferson misses regular free throw 1 of 1
1:32		Jordan Hamilton defensive rebound
1:16		Arnas Sakenis turnover (lost ball) (Terrance Arceneaux steals)
1:12		Kordelius Jefferson misses two point layup
1:11		Cougars defensive rebound
0:59		Cedric Lath blocks Cham Okey's three point jump shot
0:57		Mercy Miller defensive rebound
0:51	+3	Kordelius Jefferson makes three point jump shot (Mercy Miller assists)	40-77
0:42		Jordan Hamilton misses three point jump shot
0:40		Terrance Arceneaux defensive rebound
0:31		Kordelius Jefferson misses three point jump shot
0:29		Mylik Wilson offensive rebound
0:12		Myles Thompson shooting foul (Cedric Lath draws the foul)
0:12		Cedric Lath misses regular free throw 1 of 2
0:12	+1	Cedric Lath makes regular free throw 2 of 2	40-78
0:00		End of period

+ 1

Cedric Lath makes regular free throw 2 of 2