HOUSTON (Interstat) — Dedan Thomas scored 17 points and handed out seven assists as Houston beat Jacksonville State 92-46 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game on Wednesday at Hofheinz Pavilion. Mercy Miller added 15 points and five assists for the Cougars, who improved to 3-0. Jacksonville State fell to 1-2. The announced attendance was 7,035.

Houston took command early and led 47-23 at halftime. After Ethan Croley tied the score at 2 with a hook shot, the Cougars went on a 20-1 run to take a 22-3 lead. Miller started the burst with a layup and free throw, Joseph Tugler made a jumper, Arafan Diane converted a hook shot and free throw, Delrecco Gillespie and Thomas hit 3-pointers, and Chendall Weaver made four free throws. Jacksonville State answered with a 3-pointer by Leon Horner, a 3-pointer by Chris Lockett and a floater by Horner to cut the deficit to 22-12. Houston responded with a 3-pointer by Chase McCarty, a 3-pointer by Jordan Stiemke for Jacksonville State, a free throw by Miller, a jumper and three-point play by Diane, a dunk by Gillespie, two free throws by Horner, another 3-pointer by McCarty, two free throws by Thomas, a 3-pointer by Stiemke, a pullup jumper by Thomas and free throws by Weaver. Alijah Curry made one free throw for Jacksonville State, Corey Hadnot hit a floating jumper for Houston, and Horner made a pullup jumper at the end of the half.

Jacksonville State opened the second half with a Croley dunk and two Stiemke free throws to make it 47-27. Thomas answered with a pullup jumper, Naas Cunningham made a floating jumper, Thomas scored on a driving layup, and Hadnot added a layup and a stepback jumper to push Houston’s lead to 53-29. Cunningham hit a 3-pointer and Croley made a layup to pull Jacksonville State to 53-34, but Gillespie made a hook shot, Weaver hit a 3-pointer, East dunked, and Hadnot made a free throw to extend the margin. Cunningham hit another 3-pointer, Miller made a free throw, East made a layup and two free throws, Miller converted a layup and free throw, Stiemke made two free throws, and Thomas made two free throws. Miller hit a 3-pointer, Thomas scored on a driving layup, Miller made two free throws, Cunningham hit a 3-pointer, Kordel Jefferson hit a 3-pointer, Miller dunked, Curry made a layup, Bryce Jackson made a jumper and a turnaround jumper, Diane made a free throw, and Jefferson dunked to close the scoring. Houston never let its lead fall below 19 after halftime, and its largest lead was the final margin.

Thomas, a 6-foot-1 guard from Las Vegas who previously played at Liberty, finished with 17 points and seven assists in 27 minutes. Miller, a 6-foot-4 guard who previously played at Notre Dame, had 15 points, five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. Weaver, a 6-foot-3 guard who previously played at Mansfield Timberview, scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds in 10 minutes. Diane, a 7-foot center who previously played at Iowa United Prep, had nine points, four rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes. Stiemke, a 6-foot-5 guard who previously played at C. Milton Wright, led Jacksonville State with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. McCarty, a 6-foot-5 forward who previously played at IMG Academy, had six points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 23 minutes. Tugler, a 6-foot-8 forward who previously played at Cypress Falls, added four points, eight rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 18 minutes. East, a 6-foot-9 forward who previously played at Stafford HS, scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in 16 minutes. Gillespie, a 6-foot-8 forward who previously played at East Coweta in Georgia, had seven points and four rebounds in 21 minutes. Horner, a 6-foot-4 forward who previously played at Dynamic Prep, finished with nine points and four assists in 14 minutes.

Houston shot 29 of 54 from the floor, 7 of 22 from 3-point range and 27 of 32 from the free-throw line. Jacksonville State shot 15 of 56 from the floor, 7 of 26 from beyond the arc and 9 of 16 from the free-throw line. Houston scored 92 points from 67 possessions and posted an offensive rating of 136.9, while Jacksonville State scored 46 points from 69 possessions and had an offensive rating of 67.1. The Cougars held a 12-8 edge in offensive rebounds, blocked three shots and committed 10 turnovers. Jacksonville State had eight assists to Houston’s seven, committed 13 turnovers and was whistled for 27 fouls to Houston’s 15.

Houston has opened the season with a 94-55 home win over La Salle and an 86-68 home win over California. Jacksonville State opened with a 123-59 home win over LaGrange and lost 83-80 in double overtime at South Alabama. Houston is scheduled to face Rutgers in Las Vegas next, while Jacksonville State will host UAB.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston 76, Jacksonville State 74. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Houston with a 99.4 percent probability to win.