LJ Cryer scored 16 points and J’Wan Roberts added 14 points with six rebounds as No. 4 Houston kicked off its season in style with a 97-40 victory over visiting Jackson State on Monday.

Mylik Wilson turned a late scoring burst into 15 points, and Milos Uzan had eight points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals as the Cougars won their season opener for the 16th consecutive season.

Cryer made 4 of 6 attempts from 3-point range after he led Houston with 15.5 points per game last season. His 112 made baskets from distance a year ago were tied for ninth most in Division I, while he shot 38.8 percent from long range.

Jalen Tatum scored 14 points and Romelle Mansel added seven points and six rebounds for the Tigers. Jackson State went 15-17 overall a season ago and was picked to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Houston received a 3-pointer from Uzan 50 seconds into the game for a 3-0 lead and never trailed. The Cougars were up 12-2 with 13:29 remaining in the first half and led 30-8 with 7:07 left before intermission.

Houston pushed its advantage to 52-13 at the break behind 13 points from Cryer and eight from Roberts as the Cougars shot 61.3 percent from the floor.

A driving layup from Uzan with 9:26 remaining gave Houston its first 50-point lead of the game at 74-24.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 58.2 percent from the floor and turned 21 Jackson State turnovers into 35 points. The Cougars recorded 12 steals and held the Tigers to 27.7 percent from the floor.

Houston is opening a season with a top-10 ranking for the third time in the 11 seasons under head coach Kelvin Sampson.

The Cougars have advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, but they have advanced only as far as the national semifinals in 2021 over that time and have been eliminated in the regional semifinals in each of the past two seasons.

–Field Level Media