COLLEGE HOOPS: Cougars clinch comeback win versus Memphis

University of Houston senior forward Devonta Pollard shoots over University of Memphis senior forward Shaq Goodwin Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at Hofheinz Pavilion. Goodwin scored 24 points in the contest, but Pollard bested him in the matchup, notching a career-high 34 points to key the Cougars to a 98-90 victory over the Tigers. less University of Houston senior forward Devonta Pollard shoots over University of Memphis senior forward Shaq Goodwin Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at Hofheinz Pavilion. Goodwin scored 24 points in the contest, but ... more Photo: Tony Gaines Photo: Tony Gaines Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close COLLEGE HOOPS: Cougars clinch comeback win versus Memphis 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

HOUSTON - The University of Houston Cougars notched another big conference win Wednesday, coming back from a 13-point deficit to beat the Memphis Tigers 98-90.

Houston, which improved to 17-7 and 7-5 in American Athletic Conference play, enjoyed a career-high scoring performance from senior forward Devonta Pollard, who sunk 14 of his 24 shot attempts and connected on six of eight free throws for 34 points, 23 in the second half.

The Cougars entered the locker rooms at halftime down 48-40, allowing the Tigers to shoot nearly 55 percent from the field, 50 percent from behind the arc and 85 percent from the line. After the game, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson suggested that the battle-back mentality is part of the team’s identity.

“I just didn’t think we had a lot of juice early,” Sampson said. “But when things aren’t going your way, you’ve just got to keep fighting. Our guys are fighting. I think we’ve established a culture here where we just don’t give in to anything.”

Houston was playing yet another game without leading scorer, sophomore guard Rob Gray Jr., whose 17.3 points per game is best in the AAC. Gray’s absence is a big reason the Cougars fell to Tulsa on the road, but Pollard was not about to allow a second consecutive defeat.

“My whole mindset coming out of the locker room was, whatever I have to do to help my team get this win, that’s what I’m going to do,” Pollard said.

Sampson lauded his forward, not only for his performance - which also included four rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal - but also for his work ethic and dedication to the game.

“Devonta has really fallen in love with the game of basketball,” Sampson said. “I can tell his maturity and how far he’s come as a player by how much time he spends in the gym now. I’m really proud of him. He’s developed into an outstanding leader. He’s one of those kids that you just love to coach.”

Sampson handed Pollard the reigns Wednesday, in need of an offensive boost with Gray Jr. out of the lineup due to an ankle injury. Pollard shook off the specter of some earlier, lackluster offensive performances, and going into the game had no doubts as to whether he could answer the call.

“I didn’t get too overwhelmed,” Pollard said. “I just stayed with my same routine, stayed in the gym and kept working on my game. And I felt like I worked on my game long enough and hard enough to be able to do what I did tonight.”

What Pollard did was enough to overcome big nights from Memphis’s two big men, senior forward Shaq Goodwin and freshman forward Dedric Lawson. Lawson notched a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 boards, playing all 40 minutes of the contest. Goodwin scored 24 points, shooting 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. Sampson praised the senior big man’s all-around talent in his post-game comments.

“The thing that makes Goodwin so good is that he can drive it, he can post it, he can pass it and he can make free throws,” Sampson said. “That’s a good combination.”

Sampson also made sure that no one overlooked the effort he received from senior forward and team captain, LeRon Barnes.

“The unsung hero on this team tonight was LeRon Barnes,” Sampson said. “He made the baskets when they started creeping away from us. He made the big baskets that kept us in it.”

Barnes finished with 12 points, hitting four of his five shots - three of four from long range - and collected seven rebounds, showing up big in the moments when things looked most dire for Houston.

Sampson suggested that Barnes’s performance is emblematic of the character of this team, a team that is defined by fighting through adversity.

“We have very good discipline,” Sampson said. “We have a good team. I’ve said this all along. We got outplayed against a really good team on Sunday that was desperate, but I liked the way we bounced back tonight.”

Houston will stay home to face the University of Central Florida at Hofheinz Pavilion Saturday with a chance to climb higher in the AAC standings, hoping to earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament that kicks off in Orlando on March 10. With six conference games left to play, hanging around the top third of the standings, the Cougars - defined by their propensity to fight - have plenty to fight for.