No. 14 Houston tops Cincinnati, takes AAC regular-season title

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Fabian White Jr. had a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds as No. 14 Houston beat Cincinnati 71-53 on Tuesday night and clinched the American Athletic Conference regular-season title.

White scored 20 points in the first half as the Cougars (25-4, 14-2 AAC) built a 38-34 lead at the break. There were 16 lead changes and five ties in the first half.

"I’m always happy for my seniors, especially when they’re the leaders," Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Fabian led this team. He’s led this team since Marcus (Sasser) and Tramon (Mark) went down (in December with season-ending injuries)."

Sampson said he doesn’t take winning games or championships for granted because he knows how hard it is and how hard his team has worked.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Houston forward Fabian White Jr. (35) celebrates a 3-point basket by guard Taze Moore against Cincinnati at the end of the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Justin Rex)

"Nothing happens easily," Sampson said. "It’s hard to win a game. That’s the disconnect that people who have never coached or played don’t understand — how hard it is to win a game. … The problem with success is the more you have, the more it is taken for granted."

White scored his previous career high of 22 points on Feb. 6 in Cincinnati.

"He’s about as good as anybody in this league this year," Cincinnati coach Wes Miller said of White. "We’ve had a hard time with him both times we’ve seen Houston. His ability to play both inside and out causes so many problems."

Josh Carlton had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Kyler Edwards and Taze Moore each