HOUSTON – Houston defeated Wichita State, 79-65, in the American Athletic Conference opener Wednesday night at the Fertitta Center.

Wichita State (3-3, 0-1) dropped its third straight game and fell to 1-5 all-time vs. Houston.

Seraphine Bastin collected her first double-double of the season and third career with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Bastin was a perfect 12-of-12 at the free throw line. Asia Strong registered 13 points to go with seven rebounds for her fifth game in double figures.

Wichita State could not overcome turnovers and poor outside shooting to erase a Houston deficit that the Cougars claimed from the opening tip. The Shockers finished with 26 turnovers and shot 37 percent, including 3-for-13 from beyond the arc.

Houston (5-1, 2-0) knocked down 10 three-pointers and shot 39 percent overall. The Cougars missed some opportunities at the charity stripe, going 19-for-34.

Eryka Sidney led four Houston players in double figures with 17 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting.

Nine turnovers and a 1-of-6 start from the field let Houston build an early 14-4 lead with less than four minutes to go in the opening quarter, and would lead 22-12 after 10 minutes. Wichita State committed 11 turnovers in the first quarter.

Things didn't get much better in the second quarter for the visitors. Houston took a 37-22 lead into the half behind 19 Wichita State turnovers. The Shockers actually out-shot the Cougars in the first half 41 percent to 37 percent, but Houston made up for it causing miscues and shooting 7-of-18 from beyond the arc.

Strong paced Wichita State with eight first half points, but defensively Wichita State had no answer for Eryka Sidney. Sidney scored a game-high 14 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting (4-for-4 from three-point range).

Houston picked up right where it left off to begin the third quarter, using a 7-0 run to build its largest lead, 49-28, forcing a Keitha Adams timeout with 6:53 to go in the period.

The Cougars lead hovered around the 20-point margin for much of the quarter until Wichita State cut it to 16, highlighted by a Shamaryah Duncan three-pointer to beat the buzzer. After three quarters Houston led 61-45.

Wichita State kept battling, as they would pull within 11 behind four straight points from Bastin at the free throw line.

The Shockers could never get the deficit to single digits, as Houston sealed the game in the final minute.

Up Next
Wichita State hosts Cincinnati for its American Athletic Conference home opener to open the New Year on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.