Houston Cougars (AP) Armoni Brooks scored 20 points, Corey Davis Jr. added 18 with six assists and Houston held off cross-town rival Rice Owls 79-69 Wednesday night in the 81st meeting.

Nate Hinton and Galen Robinson Jr. scored 15 apiece for the Cougars (2-0), who scored 26 points off of fast breaks and shot 45 percent from the field. It was Brooks' second straight 20-point game.

Houston took a 7-6 lead on Brooks' jumper and stayed ahead the rest of the way. The Cougars led 40-29 at halftime and by as many as 18 points in the second half.

The Owls closed to 74-66 on Ako Adams' 3 with 57 seconds left, but Houston stopped the rally with five straight free throws.

Adams scored 19 points with five assists and Jack Williams added 11 points for the Owls (2-2).

Copyright 2018 by AP. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of AP is strictly prohibited.