Houston Basketball Picks Up Sixth-Straight Victory With Commanding Win Over Kansas State
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The Houston Cougars defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 78-64 on Saturday afternoon, inside the Fertitta Center.
After a 2-for-15 start from the field, the Cougars bounced back to win their sixth-straight game.
Next up, Houston prepares for a grueling schedule, beginning with a game against No. 5 Iowa State on Monday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m., inside Hilton Coliseum.
Houston vs Kansas State Game Recap
The Cougars found themselves down 15-6 early in the game thanks to a 2-for-15 start from the field.
Junior forward Joseph Tugler also played just over two minutes in the first half due to picking up a pair of early fouls.
Without Houston’s star defender on the floor, senior forward Kalifa Sakho and junior center Cedric Lath had to step up, and they certainly did.
Sakho finished the game with six points and six rebounds, but he was most impressive on defense.
While Kansas State was on a hot streak to start the game, the Sam Houston State transfer broke their mometum with two huge blocks at the rim.
Lath also made an immediate impact in just six minutes of play. He entered the game while Houston was trailing, and he knocked down two big freethrows. The best part of his game today was his defense, and he forced two turnovers that got Houston back into the game early on.
Because of that effort, Houston exploded for a 33-4 run to completely take control of the contest.
Senior guard Emanuel Sharp has found his groove on the offensive side of the ball, and he has now posted back-to-back games with over 20 points.
In Utah, Sharp nailed eight three-pointers to become Houston’s all-time leader in made threes, and he carried over the momentum to today’s game.
The veteran guard finished the game with 23 points, which led the team, and three steals.
Senior guard Milos Uzan also put together a solid showing in his 33 minutes of play. He finished with 12 points and eight assists, and his elite basketball IQ displayed in the game will be needed as the Cougars enter their toughest stretch yet.
Houston's next three games will almost certainly determine who will be crowned the Big 12 regular season champion.
As of today, Houston sits at the top of the standings with a half game lead over Arizona.
The Cougars will face No. 5 Iowa State on the road on Monday, the return to home to play No. 1 Arizona on Saturday.
Houston will close the grueling stretch by going to No. 9 Kansas to face a hot Jaywaks team.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).