Houston Cougars Begin Revenge Tour With Win Over Lehigh

Houston’s basketball gave fans a lot to be excited about in Monday’s 75-57 victory over Lehigh at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas. It marked the first game of what hopes to be a revenge tour for the Cougars, who came up one possession short of winning a national title last season.

With the victory, Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson also recorded his 800th win as a head coach and his 300th with the Cougars.

Sampson has etched his named into college basketball history and he will always be remembered as one of the greatest to ever do it.

Houston Basketball Rolls Past Lehigh

Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp drives to the basket during the first half against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at Fertitta Center. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Sampson has once again built a team that will be able to compete at the top of the Big 12 Conference; however, this is not your typical Houston team.

The difference is that for the first time in the Sampson era, multiple freshman will play a crucial role in the team’s success, and it showed early in the game.

Freshman guard Kingston Flemings made his name known early by drilling a corner three on the Cougars’ first possession of the game.

Flemings finished his Houston debut with eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of play.

Freshman center Chris Cenac had the best Houston debut of the three newcomers, and he showed what he brings to the team early in the game.

After Kingston’s three-pointer, Cenac accounted for 11 of Houston’s next 13 points, drilling three three-pointers and he slammed down a powerful dunk.

Cenac ended with 12 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a steal.

Freshman guard Isiah Harwell played 19 minutes and he showed several promising signs in his first game action.

Harwell scored his first basket as a Cougar with a deep three-pointer, but he was best on the defensive side of the ball, recording four steals.

Houston’s star returners also had a nice showing in the season opener.

Senior guard Emmanuel Sharp once again displayed his elite scoring ability as he led All scorers with 24 points, while only making one three-point jumper.

He also showed why he is one of the best defenders in the country by recording three steal and a block.

Senior guard Milos Uzan managed the offense well by scoring seven points and recording four assists.

Junior forward Joseph Tugler will be more of a scoring option for Houston this season and he had a very efficient 11 points in tonight’s game, including a made three-pointer.

Tugler showed why he is was the CBS Sports’ Preseson National Defensive Player of the Year, totaling four blocks in 22 minutes.

Houston’s defense will once again be suffocating, and they will only get stronger throughout the year as the team continues to gel.

Tonight, they forced 15 turnovers which resulted in several fast breaks and 19 points.

The biggest differences for Houston this season is that they have depth at every position and there are elite three-point shooters everywhere on their roster.

Next Up

The Cougars will take on Townson this Saturday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. inside the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas.