Francis scores 23, No. 3 Houston beats McNeese State 83-44

HOUSTON (AP) — Ja’Vier Francis scored a career-high 23 points and had 13 rebounds as No. 3 Houston routed McNeese State 83-44. Emanuel Sharp added 18 points while going 6 of 9 on 3-pointers for the Cougars, and Marcus Sasser hit 5 of 10 from long range and scored 17 points. The pair combined to shoot 9 of 14 on 3s in the first half. Coming off a hard-fought 69-61 win at then-No. 2 Virginia, Houston had an easier time scoring. The Cougars went 11 of 20 from long range in the opening half and led 42-19 at the break. Roberts Berze scored 13 points and Christian Shumate added 10 for McNeese State. The Cowboys lost their fourth straight game.