Houston’s Defense Overpowers No. 14 Arkansas in Convincing Win
In this story:
Houston basketball defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 94-85 on Saturday evening, at the Never Forget Tribute Classic, inside the Prudential Center, in Newark N.J.
The Cougars’ defense showed out on national television, forcing 12 turnovers which led to nine easy points.
With the win, Houston improves to 11-1 on the season, and they picked up its second AP top-25 win of the season.
Houston vs. Arkansas Game Recap
In a game where the event supports several 9/11 charities, senior guard Emanuel Sharp put on a show in front of the packed arena, and he made it worth the price of admission.
Sharp scored a team-high 22 points, including three straight three-pointers to expand the lead to 14 early in the second half.
This was Sharp’s fifth 20-point performance of the season, and the veteran guard is taking advantage of being the lead scoring threat in the offense.
Freshman guard Kingston Flemings continued his stellar play against ranked teams with a 21-point showing against Arkansas.
Flemings also contributed six rebounds, five assists and three steals, and the young guard continues to prove that he can impact the game in every category.
With freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. and junior forward Joseph Tugler only combining for 38 total minutes in the entire game, senior guard Ramon Walker Jr. had a breakout performance against the Razorbacks, and he was the bench presence Houston needed to win.
Tonight, he scored 12 points and he went 2-for-4 from behind the arc. While his scoring is important, the hustle he displayed in his 26 minutes of play is what helped lead the Cougars to victory.
Walker Jr. is the epitome of what is means to be a Houston Cougar, and he is an underrated weapon for head coach Kelvin Sampson going forward.
Before getting into foul trouble, Tugler dominated the first half defensively, totaling four steals on the night.
The former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year caused all sort of trouble for the Razorbacks' offense, and he helped the Cougars lead by as much as 21 in the first half.
In only 10 minutes of play, freshman guard Isiah Harwell also had a great showing in the first half.
He drilled two three-pointers to help build Houston’s early lead.
This game was a great test for Sampson and his team as Arkansas had several players that were a true test of both sides of the floor for Houston.
UH also proved that in a game where they played tough defense for all 40 minutes, they still can play elite offense, and it showed.
With the 94 points scored tonight, the Cougars have now scored 90 or more points in three games this season, showing that they are much more than a defensive 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).