A slow start by both teams prompted an 8-7 Houston lead almost 5 minutes in, but an 8-1 run by the Cougars, including a dunk by Pollard, helped Houston build a 41-28 advantage at intermission. [...] Pollard's dunk with 11:45 left spurred another mini-run with LeRon Barnes nailing a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 16 with 11:08 left and Houston cruised from there.