Sasser hurt anew as top seed Houston beats Northern Kentucky
With All-American Marcus Sasser watching from the bench, top-seeded Houston shook off Northern Kentucky for a 63-52 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
By PAUL NEWBERRY
Published - Mar 17, 2023, 12:31 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 22, 2023, 03:41 PM EDT
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — With All-American Marcus Sasser watching from the bench, top-seeded Houston shook off Northern Kentucky for a 63-52 victory to open the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
Chants of “NKU!” and “Overrated!” filled Legacy Arena as the 16th-seeded Norse trailed by only three at halftime and made it 36-all with under 16 minutes to go against the Cougars (32-3).
But Houston pulled away behind 16 points from Jarace Walker, advancing to face ninth-seeded Auburn on Saturday.
“I don't coach Northern Kentucky, but I was proud of their team tonight,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “They fought. Their kids are tough. They're smart.”
