HOUSTON - Roberts Berze led McNeese with 13 points but third-ranked Houston was too powerful for the Cowboys as the Cougars cruised to an 83-44 win on Wednesday night.

Berze scored 11 of those 13 points in the final 5:16 of the game as McNeese (3-10) scored on its final five possessions. Three of his four field goals in that span came from behind the three-point arc. Christian Shumate added 10 points with four rebounds and three assists.

Houston (110-1) was led in scoring by Ja'Vie Francis with 23 points and 13 rebounds while Emanuel Sharp added 18 and Marcus Sasser with 17.

The Cougars dominated the glass with a 43-22 advantage in rebounds. 

McNeese kept things close for the first 10 minutes of the game, trailing just 14-9 at the 10:53 mark following a dunk by Shumate. From that point, the Cougars outscored the Cowboys 28-10 to take a 42-19 lead at the half.

The Cougars came out of the break on fire, rolling up a 21-2 run in the first eight minutes of the second half to go up 63-21. A dunk by Terrance Arceneaux gave Houston its largest lead of the night at 75-26. McNeese outscored Houston in the final 5:40 by an 18-8 margin.

Next up, the Cowboys will begin Southland Conference play on Dec. 31 at Lamar.

Game Stats:
FG Shooting: McNeese 18-49 (37%), Houston 32-61 (52%)
3FG Shooting: McNeese 6-24 (25%), Houston 14-33 (42%)
FT Shooting: McNeese 2-5 (40%), Houston 5-10 (50%)
Rebounds: McNeese 22, Houston 43
Assists: McNeese 10, Houston 23
Steals: McNeese 9, Houston 8
Blocks: McNeese 1, Houston 2
Turnovers: McNeese 16, Houston 12