HOUSTON, Texas -- Houston jumped out to leads of 14-0 and 26-2 and never allowed Cornell back in the game, remaining unbeaten with an 83-53 victory on Saturday evening at Hofheinz Pavilion. The Cougars improved to 5-0, while the Big Red slipped to 1-5.

Sophomore Matt Morgan had a game-high 23 points to go along with four rebounds and senior JoJo Fallas had 12 points and three steals for the Big Red. The visitors struggled all evening from the field, connecting on just 31 percent from the floor and 21 percent from beyond the 3-point arc while turning the ball over a season-high 19 times.

Devin Davis led four double figure scorers with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Rob Gray chipped in 15, Wes Vanbeck had 12 and Damyean Dotson scored 10. The Cougars shot 55 percent from the floor - the best shooting night for a Big Red opponent since Georgia Tech hit on .603 in last season's opener - with the home team scoring 46 of its points in the paint.

Cornell's first 12 and a half minutes was too difficult to overcome. The Big Red missed 12-of-13 shots from the floor, including all eight 3-point tries, misfired on three free throw attempts and turned it over six times as the Cougars jumped out to a 26-2 lead. Though the visitors were game through the rest of the first half and much of the second, Cornell couldn't cut the lead below 16 the rest of the way.

Notes To Know
• It was just Cornell's second trip to play in the state of Texas in the program's history (0-2).
• The Big Red was 6-of-28 from 3-point range, making the team 28-of-123 (.228) in its five losses this season.
• Matt Morgan's five 3-pointers tied a career high, marking the seventh time hie's hit that mark.
• Junior Wil Bathurst made his first collegiate start for the Big Red.
• Cornell shot a season best 83 percent from the line (15-of-18), with JoJo Fallas leading the way with a 5-for-5 afternoon.
• Fallas had 12 points for his third double figure scoring game of the season after entering his senior campaign with four career games with at least 10 points.

Lonestar Homecoming
• The trip served as a homecoming for Big Red senior guards Robert Hatter (Westside HS) and Desmond Fleming (College Park HS), as well as an in-state trip for sophomores Joseph Bayless (Dallas) and Jack Gordon (Dallas).
• Cornell Director of Basketball Operations David Robertson sat on the visiting bench for the first time, as the 2011 and 2015 (master's) Houston grad previously served as a graduate assistant in video for the Houston basketball team.
• Big Red assistant coach Adam Gierlach graduated from crosstown rival Rice and served as the team's video coordinator as Director of Player Development and as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

Next Up
• Cornell will play its second home game of the season when the Big Red welcomes Northeastern to Newman Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
• The Big Red trails the all-time series 4-1 in a series that dates back to the 1981-82 season.
• Northeastern won the last meeting between the teams during the 2004-05 season, an 88-85 contest at Marist's Pepsi Invitational in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
• Cornell only win over Northeastern came during the 1983-84 campaign, a 74-64 Big Red win at Barton Hall.