Houston freshman Guard Kingston Flemings (4) taking a shot against Texas Tech at the Fertitta Center in Houston Texas, on Tuesday, Jan. 6| Raphael Hernandez/The Cougar
No. 7-ranked Houston Cougars battled it out against the No.14 Texas Tech Red Raiders in a top-15 matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the Fertitta Center. The last time these two teams played, Houston won 69-65. Now, Houston leads the series 38-32.
Texas Tech started with an early lead and tried to maintain it, but Cougars responded and took the lead five minutes into the game. Both teams would go back and forth, trying to keep the lead and run with it, but the score would stay close.
The game then stayed tied 16-16 until the halfway point of the first half, when Houston freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. scored two points to give the Cougars a lead.
Going back and forth, each team dealt blows to the other, but Houston would lead 25-19 and extended that lead with five minutes left in the first half.
Both teams’ defenses battled and endured, and the score was tied 31-31 at the end of the first half. Houston’s Senior guard Emanuel Sharp, was on fire, leading in points with 11 after the first half.
In the second half, Houston began scoring to take the lead, 37-33, and tried to pull away from Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders narrowed the lead to two points.
Although the score was 39-35, Texas Tech struggled to make shots and set up their offense, allowing Houston to capitalize on the Red Raiders’ mistakes.
The score were in Texas Tech’s favor as they took the lead 44-41 while on a 9-0 run for over two minutes. Houston broke the scoring streak but were still be down by three points with 12 minutes left in the second half.
Texas Tech still had the lead 55-49 as Houston narrowed the score down to four points. With six minutes left, the Cougars, determined to come back and grab the lead, narrowed the deficit to two.
The score stayed 57-55 with the Red Raiders on top for over two minutes until Texas Tech would score again to increase the lead to four. Houston responded quickly as junior forward Joseph Tugler made a two-pointer to close the lead back down to two.
Houston’s freshman guard Kingston Flemings made a 3-pointer to take the lead 60-59 with two minutes left in the game.
Houston increased the lead to three, but Texas Tech lowered the lead back to one. Then Flemings made another critical three to bring the lead to four. With just 13 seconds left, Houston got the ball again and won against Texas Tech 69-65.
Flemings scored 23 points, five assists and a block. Tugler and Cenac combined for 21 rebounds, as Cenac grabbed 11 and Tugler snatched 10. Sharp also contributed with 17 points, two assists and a steal.
Overall
Houston made a statement against Texas Tech by showing determination, perseverance and game sense. Flemings dominated by scoring points, while Cenac and Tugler found ways to rebound and contribute defensively.
Both Sharp and Houston senior guard Milos Uzan made shots that mattered to turn the tide in Houston’s favor.
Houston at home has a 117-7 record since 2018, with a win percentage of 94%, the best record among all teams since that time. The Cougars are bringing a lot of confidence to their next game, as they face the infamous Baylor Bears on Jan. 10 at 12 pm.
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Great Job Micah Clay & the Team @ The Cougar for sharing this story.
