Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, frustrated over a foul call, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, November 3, 2025, in Houston, Texas. |Gillian Wisniewski/The Cougar
In a thriller, the No. 6 Houston Cougars lost a close game to the No. 12-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders 90-86 on Jan. 24 in Lubbock, Texas. This is also the seventh consecutive game that these two teams have faced each other while ranked, and they did not disappoint.
Both teams came out firing, but Texas Tech would take the early lead and gain momentum against the No. 6-ranked team in the country. However, the game became aggressive, as a flagrant foul was called in the first two minutes of the game.
After the flagrant foul, Houston capitalized, gaining a four-point lead against Texas Tech while locking down defensively.
The Cougars and Red Raiders went back and forth, as both teams grabbed the lead and let it go, with the score 22-21. Houston’s senior guard Emanuel Sharp and freshman guard Kingston Flemings started hot, with Sharp having eight points and Flemings with 10 in the first eight minutes of the half.
Halfway through the first half, the Cougars got into foul trouble, as they accumulated 17 fouls in the game, which allowed Texas Tech to tie the game 32-32.
Despite this, Houston continued to showcase their dominance on offense but struggled on defense as junior forward Joseph Tugler got into foul trouble. As a result, Texas Tech took the lead with five minutes left in the half.
With the momentum, the Red Raiders wouldn’t let Houston gain the lead, as they widened the lead to seven points and went on an 18-7 run.
The Cougars tried to narrow the lead down to six points, but the Red Raiders continued to dominate Houston on both offense and defense.
The half would end with the Red Raiders on top 55–49 as Houston couldn’t contest with Texas Tech’s three-point shooting.
Flemings would be Houston’s star in the first half with 22 points, four assists and two steals.
Starting the second half, Houston scored first and narrowed the lead down to one point but Texas Tech remained persistent and didn’t let the Cougars take the lead.
However, the Cougars struck fast and stole the lead for Texas Tech, but the Red Raiders struck fast to tie the game 63-63.
Just as in the first half, both teams traded blows, but Houston ultimately maintained the lead and held on.
Houston continued to keep the lead and wouldn’t allow Texas Tech to score any points for two minutes. However, with nine minutes left, Texas Tech came back, took the lead and went on an 8-2 scoring run.
The Red Raiders continued to maintain their lead against Houston and extended it with two consecutive three-point shots. At the same time, Houston wouldn’t back down and narrowed the lead by three points.
Texas Tech extended their lead to 86-82 and made Houston play by their rules with three minutes left. With 30 seconds on the clock, Flemings attempted a three-pointer but missed, giving Texas Tech the ball again and allowing the Red Raiders to win 90-86.
Flemings became the king of the court with a career-high 42 points and six assists. Additionally, he accumulated 20+ points against ranked teams. Tugler and freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. grabbed seven rebounds.
Although the Cougars lost to Texas Tech, their performance and persistence revealed a team that, regardless of how many points they were down, remained competitive and gave it their all. The Cougars will try to bounce back next game against TCU on Jan 28.
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Great Job Micah Clay & the Team @ The Cougar for sharing this story.
