Refs toss Houston’s Jarreau, say he bit opponent
While going after a loose ball, DeJon Jarreau bites Mamoudou Diarra’s leg while on the floor, causing him to get ejected from the game. (0:27)
Houston guard DeJon Jarreau was ejected from the Cougars’ 64-62 loss to Cincinnati after officials determined that he bit Bearcats forward Mamoudou Diarra.
With 6:16 remaining in Saturday’s game, Jarreau lost his dribble and dove for a loose ball. While diving for the ball, his mouth connected with the back of Diarra’s left calf. Officials reviewed the play and also said they saw evidence of a bite on Diarra’s leg.
Jarreau was given a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson disagreed with the officials, telling reporters after the game that Jarreau didn’t bite Diarra.
“That wasn’t a bite,” said Sampson, who also took issue with Cincinnati shooting 31 free throws to Houston’s 10. “That was an alleged bite. I’ve watched it three times. If you watch it once, you might be wrong, but I watched it three times. He’s our starting point guard. That makes it difficult.”
Houston led by as many as 15 points in the second half before Cincinnati stormed back for a two-point win. The Cougars were leading by two at the time of Jarreau’s ejection.
Jarreau has started 13 games for Houston this season, including the last six. He’s averaging 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season. Before transferring to Houston in 2018, Jarreau spent one season at UMass and attended classes for one year at Howard College without playing on the basketball team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.