Houston Basketball Routes Baylor in 16th Straight Road Victory
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Houston basketball went on the road and defeated the Baylor Bears 77-55 on Saturday afternoon at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas.
The Cougars showed their dominance playing away from home in the Big 12 Conference by collecting their sixteenth-straight road win.
With the victory, Houston improves to 15-1 on the season and they remain undefeated in Big 12 play.
Houston vs. Baylor Recap
The Bears started the game on fire, drilling four early three-pointers to take a14-6 lead.
After that point, Houston tightened up its defense, and Baylor did not make another three in the first half.
The Cougars offense also got going as they dominated Baylor by going on a 23-3 run.
Right when it felt like Houston would run away with the game, the Bears clawed their way back within seven points at halftime.
After not playing much in the first half due to foul trouble, freshman guard Kingston Flemings was a spark plug for Houston as he scored four quick points and threw a lob to senior forward Kalifa Sakho.
Flemings finished with 10 points and seven assists, showing that Houston is a different team when he is on the floor.
The same thing has been said over and over about junior forward Joseph Tugler, who is the heart and soul of Houston’s team.
Tugler has been playing his style of basketball lately, and he has now posted a double-double in back-to-back games.
He ended the game with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a steal.
Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. has also found his groove offensively, and he finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds, a block and a steal.
What was most impressive about his performance today is that he went a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc, giving Houston another threat from three.
After Houston had zero bench points in the game against Texas Tech, that was a big area of focus going forward.
Today, the Cougars finished with 21 bench points, and freshman guard Isiah Harwell had a big impact on this game.
He ended with 12 points and hit four three-pointers, further showing why he was a five-star recruit.
Senior guard Emanuel Sharp is the leader of the Cougars' team, and his veteran presence is what makes this squad so great.
Sharp is known for his scoring, and he tacked on 17 points with three made three-pointers.
What his best contribution has been that flies under the radar is his elite defense.
He is the leader of this young group, and early in Big 12 play, it looks like the Cougars are starting to figure out their identity as a team.
Next Up
Houston will return home to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 7:30 p.m. , inside the Fertitta Center, in Houston, Texas.
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).