3 keys to No. 4 Houston’s 75-68 Big 12 win over No. 21 BYU

Houston shot a blistering 43.5% from the 3-point line and got 23 points from Baylor transfer LJ Cryer to beat BYU 75-68 Tuesday night at the Marriott Center.

The No. 21 Cougars dropped to 14-5 overall, 2-4 in the Big 12 with their second straight loss.

No. 4 Houston led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but BYU rallied back and tied it on a Noah Waterman 3-pointer with 2:15 left.

However, the red Cougars made seven of eight free throws in the final two minutes to secure the win, while BYU failed to score on its final five possessions.

Here are 3 keys to Houston’s victory in front of 16,553 at the Marriott Center:

• Houston converted 13 BYU turnovers into 17 points and also had 15 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds. The red Cougars went 17 of 24 from the free-throw line, while BYU got to the line for just 10 free throws, making seven.

• BYU was supposed to be the better 3-point shooting team, but Houston melted the Marriott Center rims from deep, particularly in the first half. Houston built its 41-34 halftime lead by going 6 of 12 from 3-point range, while BYU was 6 of 18 in the first 20 minutes.

Houston finished 10 of 23 from deep, while BYU was 11 of 38.

• The lead got away from the blue Cougars late in the first half when they went the final seven minutes of the half with just two field goals — layups by Aly Khalifa and Dallin Hall. Hall and Trevin Knell were whistled for three fouls apiece in the first half, severely crimping BYU’s attack before the break.

Knell eventually fouled out, but not before missing a wide open 3-point attempt with 45 seconds left when Houston had a 69-68 lead.