Emanuel Sharp scores 18 and No. 15 Houston wins its fourth straight, 87-51 over Islanders

HOUSTON (AP) — Emanuel Sharp scored 18 points, L.J. Cryer added 17 and No. 15 Houston beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 87-51 on Saturday for its fourth straight win.

Sharp had 15 points in the first half as Houston (8-3) led 46-27 after shooting 61% and going 8 of 13 on 3-pointers. The Cougars finished shooting 49% and made a season-high 14 of 29 from 3.

Terrance Arceneaux scored 13 points, and Milos Uzan had 12 points and six assists as Houston extended its nation-best home winning streak to 29 games.

Garry Clark had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Damarion Dennis scored 10 points for the Islanders (7-6). Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shot 32%.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders did well combatting Houston’s size in the post, but Houston’s speed and shooting on the perimeter were too much for them.

Houston: The Cougars’ depth was on display as starting forward J’Wan Roberts was out of the lineup due to injury and reserve guard Ramon Walker Jr. was out after having surgery on his hand that is expected to keep him out until late January.

Houston opened the game shooting 7 of 9, including 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and took an 18-6 lead on a 3 by Cryer with 13 minutes remaining. The Cougars’ lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.

The Cougars forced 13 turnovers and held a 27-8 edge in points off turnovers.

Houston travels to Oklahoma State on Dec. 30 to start Big 12 conference play, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hosts Schreiner on Dec. 29.

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Houston's Emanuel Sharp, right, drives toward the basket as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Jaden Walker defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston's Emanuel Sharp (21) shoots as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Garry Clark (33) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston's L.J. Cryer (4) drives toward the basket as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Jaden Walker (21) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Stephen Giwa, left, defends against Houston's Joseph Tugler (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston's L.J. Cryer (4) celebrates with Emanuel Sharp during a timeout after making a basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston's Terrance Arceneaux (23) has his shot blocked by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Aaron Potter (24) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Johnny Zuagar said he tried to hide his worries about a potential government shutdown from his three boys as he weighed how much to spend on Christmas presents.

“I’ve got to keep a poker face,” Zuagar, a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau, said when thinking about his boys, ages 14, 12 and 6. “You’re just trying to take that worry off of your family.”

Like thousands of federal workers, Zuagar had been navigating the holidays with the spirit of the season overtaken by an air of gloom and uncertainty.

The efforts in Congress to reach an agreement on keeping the government open had cast a cloud over the holidays for many federal workers facing the prospect of furloughs in the days before Christmas. But Congress passed a three-month spending bill early Saturday, just after the midnight deadline, and President Joe Biden signed it into law hours later. There was no shutdown.

Many federal workers were already anxious about the possibility of future workforce reductions under the incoming Trump administration.

Zuagar, who is president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2782, which represents federal workers at the census, has lived through shutdowns before.

This time, the uncertainty came as Trump and his allies have promised sweeping cuts in the federal workforce.

“We really don’t know anymore," Zuagar said during a telephone interview Friday. “Again, the rhetoric out there is that federal employees are the problem.”

The contentiousness of the current debate has left him wondering: "Are we the scapegoat for every ill and grievance in America?"

He said federal workers are also worried about what will happen after Trump takes office.

“They’re fearful of what’s to come, like this is the beginning of something, or they don’t care about us," Zuagar said.

Jesus Soriano, president of the AFGE Local 3403 representing workers at the National Science Foundation and several other agencies, also said the budget clash felt different this time around.

“Americans need to decide what type of services the government should provide, whether we are talking about national security, the safety of our borders, the safety of our food, Social Security or others," Soriano said in an interview in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Jesus Soriano, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 representing the National Science Foundation and several other agencies, poses for a photo in Chevy Chase, Md., after an interview on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)