TaShawn Thomas posted a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds as push the Houston Cougars to a 79-61 rout of the Texas-El Paso Miners in a Conference USA clash at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Danuel House went 5-of-6 from the field with makes on all three of his attempts from beyond the arc to contribute 19 points for Houston (15-8, 4-6 C- USA) as it picked up its second win in three games. Jherrod Stiggers chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds while Joseph Young tallied 12 points for the Cougars.

Julian Washburn paced UTEP (13-10, 6-4) with 17 points and six boards. John Bohannon provided 11 points and Konner Tucker netted 10 as the Miners suffered their second straight loss.

UTEP connected on 40.9 percent of its field goal attempts and went 8-of-12 at the free-throw line in the first half, but the Cougars took a sizeable 43-29 lead into halftime after they hit 7-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Although the Miners heated up to connect on 48 percent of their shots from the field after the break, Houston managed to extend its lead by hitting on 54.5 percent of its field goal attempts in the final 20 minutes of action.

In addition to knocking down 9-of-13 from 3-point range in the contest, Houston also held a 36-22 rebounding edge and outscored the visitors, 36-26 in the paint.

Game Notes