Houston shot 44%, including 15 of 36 on 3-pointers. The Cougars outrebounded Tulane 48-26, which led to an 18-9 advantage in second-chance points.
Jordan Walker scored 13 points and Jaylen Forbes had 11 for Tulane (6-3, 1-3). The Green Wave shot 29%, including 6 of 19 on 3-pointers.
Houston used a 16-5 spurt to take a 34-21 lead on a layup by DeJon Jarreau with 2 ½ minutes left in the first half. Sasser had eight points in the run.
Houston led 37-25 at the half.
The Cougars extended the lead to 43-27 on consecutive 3-pointers by Grimes with 16 minutes remaining and never let Tulane get closer than 12 the rest of the way.