House scores 18 as Houston outlasts UCF 88-84

HOUSTON – Danuel House had 18 points, including 8 of 8 from the line, as Houston held on for an 88-84 win over Central Florida Saturday.

Jherrod Stiggers added 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting from behind the arc, and L.J. Rose chipped in 12 points and seven assists for Houston (13-14, 5-9 American Athletic Conference), which snapped a two-game losing streak.

Tristan Spurlock had 21 points, and Isaiah Sykes added 19 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists for the Knights (10-15, 2-12).

Houston pushed its lead to seven with five minutes remaining, but the Knights answered with a quick 7-2 spurt to cut the lead to 74-72 on two Sykes free throws with 3:27 remaining.

The Cougars responded with 3-pointers by Brandon Morris and House, and two free throws by Rose over a 2 ½ minutes stretch, to bump the lead to 10 with 55 seconds remaining.