No. 5 Houston picks up second Big 12 win thanks to Jamal Shead career night

By DYLAN LUTEY

No. 5 Houston (14-2, 2-2) picked up their second-ever Big 12 win Wednesday 77-54 at home over No. 25 Texas Tech (14-3, 3-1) thanks to a double-double effort from star guard Jamal Shead.

The Cougars were coming off two straight road losses (their first two losses of the season) against TCU and Iowa St. before Wednesday’s decisive win.

Shead, who finished with a career-high 29 points to go along with 10 assists and 4 rebounds, was the star of the show. He credited head coach Kelvin Sampson, whom he had an unexpected conversation with before the game, for his career night.

“I was just trying to focus on the game today,” said Shead. “And he came in there, and we didn’t talk about basketball. He talked about just my growth and life. It takes that sometimes to get your mind off stuff. To get your mind off that we were on a losing streak. He got my mind off something, and it brought me back in the right way.”

He also received high praise from the opposing head coach.

“[Jamal] Shead was not going to lose this game,” Red Raiders’ head coach Grant McCasland said. “It looked like his will to win, his physicality on both sides of the ball, his maturity, his leadership. Just couldn’t be more impressed with the way he competed. He looked like the best guard in our league.”

The Cougars will go on to face UCF (11-5, 2-2) at home on Saturday.