Houston 78, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 67: TaShawn Thomas scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting as the host Cougars pulled away from the Islanders in the second half.

Danrad Knowles added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench for Houston (6-2), which shot 49.1 percent and committed just seven turnovers. Jherrod Stiggers pitched in 13 points despite shooting just 5-of-15 from the field and 2-of-7 from 3-point range while L.J. Rose had 13 points and five assists.

Jeff Beverly scored a game-high 20 points for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-6) and added five rebounds. John Jordan recorded 19 points, six assists and five rebounds while Joy Williamson scored 18 on 5-of-6 shooting.

The Islanders used an 12-2 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 21-16 advantage with 7:07 left in the first half, but Houston finished the opening frame strong to pull within 31-29 at halftime. After Stiggers made a dunk, jumper and 3-pointer, and the Cougars regained the lead twice early in the second half, a Beverly layup put Texas A&M-Corpus Christi back ahead 45-43 with 13:37 to play.

A Knowles tip-in and Jaaron Simmons three-point play gave the Cougars a 52-47 edge 3:24 later and the Islanders never led again. Thomas and Knowles converted back-to-back dunks with six-plus minutes left to seal the Houston win.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston G Tione Womack had 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and six assists. … No player grabbed more than five rebounds. … The Islanders committed 15 turnovers.