Roberts scores 20 points, Arceneaux has big 2nd half as No. 5 Houston holds off Colorado 69-59

Houston forward J'Wan Roberts, left, drives past Colorado guard Julian Hammond III in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — J’Wan Roberts scored 20 points, Terrance Arceneaux added 13 of his 15 points in the second half and No. 5 Houston held off Colorado 69-59 on Saturday to hand the Buffaloes their 12th straight loss.

L.J. Cryer finished with 15 points for the Cougars (19-4, 11-1 Big 12). He appeared to be shaken up late in the game.

Houston raced out to a 9-0 lead and looked on the brink of making quick work of the Buffaloes (9-14, 0-12). But Colorado took its time on offense, played tight defense and steadily chipped away.

A key moment was around the 3-minute mark when Milos Uzan was called for a travel after the horn sounded for a shot-clock violation on Colorado. It was overturned on review. Roberts proceeded to hit two short-range shots to give Cougars some breathing room.

Julian Hammond III had 22 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead Colorado. The Buffaloes have dropped 12 in a row for the first time since 2008-09.

Takeaways

Houston: Kelvin Sampson picked up his first win over Colorado as the coach of Houston. He was 14-3 against the Buffaloes while at Oklahoma.

Colorado: Colorado dropped to 1-3 against teams ranked in the top-five this season. It’s the fourth time in the AP rankings era (1948-49) the Buffaloes have faced four top-five teams in the same season.

Key moment

Colorado was hanging close when Houston's Mylik Wilson had a pivotal steal and dunk with just over 5 minutes remaining.

Key stat

Houston held an edge in rebounds (38-26), points in the paint (42-20) and second-chance points (18-7).

Up next

Houston hosts Baylor on Monday, while Colorado travels to No. 16 Kansas on Tuesday.

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Houston guard L.J. Cryer, left, goes up for a basket as Colorado forward Andrej Jakimovski defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado guard Javon Ruffin, right, looks to pass the ball as Houston forward Joseph Tugler, left, and guard L.J. Cryer defend in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado center Elijah Malone, front, is trapped with the ball by Houston forwards Joseph Tugler, back left, and J'Wan Roberts, right, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)