Houston’s Defense Stuns West Virginia In Commanding Victory
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Houston basketball defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 77-48 on Tuesday night at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas.
The Cougars’ defense overpowered West Virginia throughout the entire game, holding the Mountaineers to a season-low 48 points.
With the win, the Cougars have won 10 straight games, and they improve to 16-1 on the season.
Houston vs West Virginia Game Recap
Houston’s defense came into this matchup ranked as the No. 1 scoring defense in the entire country.
Tonight, they proved why by forcing 15 turnovers, and the Cougars held West Virginia to just 48 points.
The Mountaineers had no answers on the offensive end to begin the game, and they only had five points in the first 15:30 of the match.
Where the Cougars have allowed a lot of teams to find their rhythm is from behind the arc, and West Virginia did just that to get back into the game.
They went on to hit four three-pointers to cut the lead to 33-18 at halftime.
In the second half, the Mountaineers held strong early in the period, but Houston’s defense and dynamic scorers were too much for them to handle.
Senior guard Milos Uzan had one of his better shooting games of the season, going 5-for-9 from behind the arc and he finished with 17 points.
This game was huge for the key returner because his shooting percentage from the field has been unusually low compared to last season.
Going forward, Uzan will be a key piece for the Cougars in the scoring category, and his leadership is vital to the team’s success.
Senior guard Emanuel Sharp also made some big shots, and he followed behind Uzan in scoring with 13 points.
Sharp continues to impress by making shots that only a select few players in the entire NCAA can make from three.
He is shooting 38.9 percent from behind the arc, and his deep ball is a big part of Houston’s offense.
He also added to his great defensive start to the season by adding two more steals to his total.
Junior forward Joseph Tugler was Houston’s final standout in tonight’s matchup, and he has grown exponentially from the start of this season.
Despite missing most of the offseason, he has picked right back where he left off, being one of the best defenders in the entire country.
Tonight, he scored 10 points along with recording four steals, and he is a game changer every single night.
With the win, the Cougars now have won back-to-back games by more than 20 points, and coach Kelvin Sampson has his team playing at an elite level.
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).