A Quad 1 win was on the line, but SMU found out why Houston is considered one of the elite Quad 1 teams in the country.

SMU fell to the No. 6 Cougars, 70-48, Sunday afternoon at Houston's Fertitta Center. It was a game where the American Athletic Conference's top-ranked defense outshined the conference's top-ranked offense.

SMU (9-4, 5-4 AAC) couldn't find its offensive rhythm on Sunday. The Mustangs shot only 32% from the floor and finished with only 15 made buckets.

SMU was held to fewer than 50 points for the first time since Jan. 28, when the team lost on the road at Cincinnati, 65-43. Houston (15-1, 10-1) won its eighth consecutive game and earned its sixth straight double-digit victory.

SMU only trailed, 28-24, at the half, but the Cougars opened the second half with the game's first nine points and turned a close game into a 13-point lead. From there, Houston outrebounded SMU, 45-33, and used a very stingy defensive effort to frustate the Mustangs.

Only one SMU player, forward Feron Hunt, finished with better than 50% shooting. Point guard Kendric Davis, one of the prolific scorers in the AAC, fifinished with a team-high 11 points, but his shooting woes from the series with Memphis continued. Davis made only 3 of 12 shots on Sunday.

Hunt had 10 points and added eight rebounds for SMU. He made 4 of 6 shots from the floor. Yor Anei added 10 points for the Mustangs.

Marcus Sasser had a game-high 19 points for Houston. Arkansas transfer Reggie Chaney came off the bench to contribute 10 points and five rebounds. He made all four of his shots.

Houston forward Justin Gorham once again was a problem for SMU. He had a career-high 19 rebounds in the teams' first meeting and finished with 17 boards on Sunday -- 14 of which were defensive rebounds.

SMU will try to get back on the winning track Wednesday when it travels to Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricane. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at the Reynolds Center.